Geographic Distribution
Geographic Distribution of the Registered Nurse Population
In March 2004, the New England area of the country had the highest concentration of employed RNs in relation to the area’s population, 1,107 employed RNs per 100,000 population. The West North Central area had the next greatest concentration with 1,026 employed RNs per 100,000 population. The West South Central area had one of the lowest concentrations, 677 RNs per 100,000 population. However, the Pacific area, with 645 employed RNs per 100,000 population, had a lower ratio than the West South Central.
Foreign-Educated Nurses
The 2004 survey estimates that 3.5 percent of the RNs practicing in the United States (100,791) received their basic nursing education outside the United States, not including the 0.3 percent (an estimated 9,687) who received their initial nursing education in Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or in unspecified States and territories.This percentage was about the same as in the 2000 survey. The main countries where the highest number of these RNs received their education were: Philippines (50.2 percent of foreign-educated RNs) and Canada (20.2 percent). A much smaller percent of RNs received their basic nursing education in other countries such as the United Kingdom (8.4 percent), followed at a distance by Nigeria (2.3), Ireland (1.5), India (1.3), Hong Kong (1.2), Jamaica (1.1), Israel (1.0), and South Korea (1.0). An additional 12 percent of RNs received their training in 47 other countries. In contrast, in 2000, the Philippines (43 percent of foreign-educated nurses), Canada (16 percent), United Kingdom (8 percent), and India (10 percent) were the main countries of origin for foreign-educated nurses.