Nurse practitioners are the single most in-demand type of nurse in the United States, with projected job growth of 40% from 2024 to 2034. That’s roughly eight times faster than the average for all occupations. But demand is surging across several nursing specialties, driven by an aging population, a deepening mental health crisis, and a training pipeline that can’t keep up.
Nurse Practitioners Lead the Growth
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 32,700 openings per year for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives combined over the next decade. Nurse practitioners make up the bulk of that demand because they can diagnose, treat, and prescribe independently in many states, filling gaps left by a growing physician shortage. In primary care especially, NPs are increasingly the provider patients see for routine and chronic care.
Within the nurse practitioner category, one subspecialty stands out: psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs). The U.S. faces a potential shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, and psychiatry is one of the hardest-hit specialties. PMHNPs are stepping into that gap in outpatient clinics, schools, correctional facilities, and telehealth platforms. Job growth for this role is estimated at 45% from 2022 to 2032, making it one of the fastest-growing positions in all of healthcare. Compensation is climbing too, particularly in rural areas and regions with few psychiatrists.
Registered Nurses Still Have Strong Prospects
Even at the bedside level, demand remains solid. Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 5% over the next decade, adding roughly 166,100 new positions. On top of that, about 189,100 RN openings are expected each year to replace nurses who retire or leave the profession. The median annual salary hit $93,600 in May 2024.
Not all RN specialties are equally competitive, though. ICU, emergency, operating room, and labor and delivery nurses are consistently the most sought after. These specialties require advanced clinical skills that take years to develop, and hospitals struggle to staff them adequately. Travel nursing agencies report that demand for experienced RNs in these areas remains strong even as the post-pandemic travel market has normalized.
Long-Term Care and Home Health Are Expanding Fast
The aging of the U.S. population is creating enormous demand for nurses who work outside of hospitals. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects that demand for nurses in long-term services and support settings will grow 40% between 2023 and 2038. In raw numbers, the country will need roughly 875,700 nurses in these roles by 2038, up from about 625,100 in 2023.
That growth spans both registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. RN demand in long-term care is projected to jump from about 360,900 to 503,200 over that period, a 39% increase. LPN demand rises 41%, from roughly 264,300 to 372,500. Home health roles are growing in parallel, with nursing assistant demand alone projected to climb 44%. If you’re considering a nursing career with strong long-term job security, geriatric and home health settings offer some of the most reliable prospects available.
The Training Bottleneck Making Shortages Worse
Demand alone doesn’t explain why these roles are so hard to fill. The education pipeline is a major constraint. In 2024, U.S. nursing schools turned away 80,162 qualified applicants from bachelor’s and graduate programs. The reasons include a shortage of faculty, limited clinical training sites, and tight budgets. A 2025 survey of 863 nursing schools found 1,588 full-time faculty vacancies, representing a national vacancy rate of 7.2%.
This bottleneck affects every level of nursing but hits advanced practice roles especially hard. Nurse practitioner, CRNA, and midwifery programs require graduate-level training with specialized clinical placements that are difficult to expand quickly. The result is a widening gap between how many nurses the healthcare system needs and how many it can train each year.
Other High-Demand Specialties Worth Knowing
A few other roles round out the picture of where nursing demand is concentrated:
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) deliver anesthesia for surgeries and procedures. Growth is projected at 9% from 2022 to 2032, and CRNAs consistently rank among the highest-paid nurses in the country. Rural hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers rely on them heavily.
- Certified Nurse Midwives are seeing 6% growth, fueled by patient preference for midwifery-led care and the need for maternal health providers in underserved areas.
- NICU Nurses who care for critically ill newborns face similar 6% growth. The specialized skills required for this work keep the talent pool small relative to demand.
- Pain Management Nurses are growing at 6% as well, driven by the ongoing need for alternatives to opioid-based treatment in chronic pain care.
Travel Nursing Has Stabilized but Remains Viable
The pandemic-era boom in travel nursing, when weekly pay packages sometimes exceeded $5,000, has cooled significantly. The travel nursing market saw a correction in 2025, with revenue projected at $14.2 billion. Bill rates have leveled out compared to their peaks, but growth is expected to return in 2026 as the market finds a more sustainable baseline.
What’s changed is the nature of the work. Instead of short crisis contracts with extreme pay, travel nurses are seeing more consistent job availability, predictable contract lengths, and competitive (if not astronomical) compensation. For experienced nurses in high-demand specialties like ICU, ER, OR, and labor and delivery, travel assignments remain a practical way to earn more while exploring different healthcare systems and regions.