Men

in Nursing Occupations
American Community Survey Highlight Report
IssuedFebruary2013

Introduction
Healthcareisoneofthefastestgrowingindustries.1Theagingofourpopulationfuelsanincreasing
demandforlongtermcareandendoflifeservices.Skillednursingcarehasalsoexpandedinschools
andretailclinicsandintheprovisionofmentalhealthservices.2Thisdemandhasresultedinlow
unemploymentratesamongnurses,rangingfromabout0.8percentamongnursepractitionersand
nurseanesthetiststo4.3percentamonglicensedpracticalandlicensedvocationalnurses.
In2011,therewere3.5millionemployednursesintheU.S.and78percentwereregisterednurses.A
predictedshortageofnurseshasincreasedrecruitingandoccupationalretrainingeffortstoincreasethe
poolofemployableworkersinthisfield.Theseeffortshaveincludedrecruitingmenintonursing.
Previously,decadesoflegalbarrierskeptmenoutofthefieldandnursingschoolsoftenrefusedto
admitmen,apracticedeemedunconstitutionalbytheU.S.SupremeCourtinacasebroughtagainsta
statesupportedschoolin1981.3Schoolsarenowactivelypursuinghighermaleenrollmentintheir
nursingprograms.Therelativelyhighwagesandexpandingjobopportunitiesmakesthisfieldattractive,
offeringstabilityevenduringrecessions.

Thisreportpresentsestimatesofmeninnursingoccupationsusingdatafromthe2011American
CommunitySurvey(ACS).Startingin2010,theCensusBureaubegancollectingdataonfivespecific
nursingoccupations:registerednurse,nurseanesthetist,nursemidwife,nursepractitioner,andlicensed
practicalandlicensedvocationalnurse.Priorto2010,twonursingcategorieswereavailable:registered
nurseandlicensedpracticalandlicensedvocationalnurse.Nurseanesthetists,nursemidwives,and
nursepractitionerswerecombinedwithregisterednurses,limitingtheanalysispotentialofthedata.
Takingadvantageofthenewlyavailableoccupationalcategories,thisreportshowsthepercentageof
menineachofthedetailednursingoccupationsandmensmedianearningsineachoccupation.This
reportisbasedonanewsetoftablesthatpresentselectedcharacteristicsofmenandwomeninnursing
occupations.Thesetablesprovideestimatesonemploymentstatus,age,race,Hispanicorigin,
citizenship,educationalattainment,workhours,timeofdeparturetowork,medianearnings,industry,
andclassofworkerbysexforregisterednurses,nurseanesthetists,nursepractitioners,andlicensed
practicalandlicensedvocationalnurses.ThetablesareavailableontheCensusBureausIndustryand
OccupationStatisticsWebsiteathttp://www.census.gov/people/io/publications/reports.html.Because
ofasmallnumberofsampleobservations,nursemidwivesareexcludedinthetablesandreport.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations

Highlights

Therewere3.5millionemployednursesin2011,about3.2millionofwhomwere
femaleand330,000male.
Ofemployednurses,78percentwereregisterednurses,19percentwerelicensed
practicalandlicensedvocationalnurses,3percentwerenursepractitioners,and1
percentwerenurseanesthetists.
Mensrepresentationamongregisterednursesandlicensedpracticalandlicensed
vocationalnursesincreased.About2.7percentofregisterednursesweremenin1970
comparedwith9.6percentin2011.Mensrepresentationamonglicensedpracticalandlicensed
vocationalnursesgrewfrom3.9percentin1970to8.1percentin2011.
In2011,9percentofallnursesweremenwhile91percentwerewomen.Menearned,on
average,$60,700peryear,whilewomenearned$51,100peryear.
Mensrepresentationwashighestamongnurseanesthetists:41percentweremen.
Malenurseanesthetistsearnedmorethantwiceasmuchastheaverageformeninallnursing
occupations.Malenurseanesthetistsearned,onaverage,$162,900peryear,whilemens
averageforallnursingoccupationswas$60,700peryear.
Evenamongmenandwomeninthesamenursingoccupations,menoutearnedwomen.
Womenworkingasnursesfulltime,yearroundearned91centsforeverydollarmalenurses
earned.

WhatistheAmericanCommunitySurvey?

TheAmericanCommunitySurvey(ACS)isanationwidesurveydesignedtoprovidecommunitieswith

reliableandtimelydemographic,social,economic,andhousingdataforthenation,states,
congressionaldistricts,counties,places,andotherlocalitieseveryyear.Ithasanannualsamplesizeof

about3.3millionaddressesacrosstheUnitedStatesandPuertoRicoandincludesbothhousingunits
andgroupquarters(e.g.,nursingfacilitiesandprisons).TheACSisconductedineverycounty
throughoutthenation,andeverymunicipioinPuertoRico,whereitiscalledthePuertoRico
CommunitySurvey.Beginningin2006,ACSdatafor2005werereleasedforgeographicareaswith
populationsof65,000andgreater.ForinformationontheACSsampledesignandothertopics,visit
www.census.gov/acs/www.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations

HistoricalTrendsinNursingOccupations
Thoughnursinghadsignificantmalerepresentationuntilthe1800sbecauseoftheearlyassociation
betweennursingandthemilitaryandreligiousorders,mensrepresentationinnursingexperienced
significantdeclineinthe1900swiththeemergenceofmodernnursingandnewlegalbarrierstomens
entry.4However,mensrepresentationinnursinghasbeengrowingsincethe1970s.Figure1showsthe
increaseinmensrepresentationamongregisterednursesandlicensedpracticalandlicensedvocational
nursessince1970.About2.7percentofregisterednursesweremenin1970comparedwith9.6percent
in2011.Exceptforasmalldeclinein1980,mensrepresentationamonglicensedpracticalandlicensed
vocationalnursesgrewfrom3.9percentin1970to8.1percentin2011.*
Figure1.PercentageofNursesWhoAreMenFrom1970to2011

8.9%
7.6%
7.6%

6.4%

5.7%
3.9%

9.6%

Registerednurses*

8.1%

Licensedpractical
andlicensed
vocationalnurses

7.8%

*Includes nursepractitioners
andnurseanesthetists.Data for
nursepractitioners andnurse
anesthetistswerenotshown
separatelyuntil2010.

4.1%

3.4%
2.7%

1970

1980

1990

2000

20062011
2010

Source:U.S.CensusBureau,1970 DecennialCensus,1980,1990, and2000EqualEmploymentOpportunityTabulation,and2006and

2011AmericanCommunitySurvey
*Thedifferencebetweenthe2011estimateandthe2000and2006estimatesforpercentageoflicensedpracticalandlicensed
vocationalnurseswhoaremenisnotstatisticallysignificant.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations


Untilrecently,theCensusBureaudidnotcollectrefined
categoriesofnursing,preventingnuancedanalysesoftrends
innursing.Startingin2010,theCensusBureausplitthe
occupationalcategoryofregisterednurseinto4occupations:
registerednurse,nurseanesthetist,nursemidwife,andnurse
practitioner.Wearenowabletoexaminemens
representationinmorespecificnursingoccupations.Because
educationalrequirements,jobtasks,andearningsvary
significantlybytypeofnurseoccupation,itisimportantto
lookattrendsinmorerefinedoccupationalcategories.

MeninNursingOccupations
Menaremorelikelytobefoundinhighlypaidnursing
occupations.Althoughwomenmakeupadisproportionate
shareofallnursingoccupations,mensrepresentationis
highestamongnurseanesthetists.About41percentofnurse
anesthetistsaremen.Figure2showsmensmedianearnings
ineachofthenursingoccupationsalongwiththeir
representationineachofthenursingcategories.Nurse
anesthetistsearnmorethantwiceasmuchastheaverage
forallnursingoccupations.Malenurseanesthetistsearn,on
average,$162,900peryear,whilemensaverageforall
nursingoccupationsis$60,700peryear.

NursingOccupations
Registerednursesassesspatienthealth
problemsandneeds,developand
implementnursingcareplans,maintain
medicalrecords,andadministercare.
Licensingorregistrationisrequired.
Nurseanesthetistsadminister
anesthesiaandmonitorpatients
recoveryfromanesthesia.Specialized
graduateeducationisrequired.
Nursemidwivesdiagnoseand
coordinateallaspectsofthebirthing
processandprovidegynecologicalcare.
Specializedgraduateeducationis
required.
Nursepractitionersdiagnoseandtreat
illnessesandmayorder,perform,or
interpretdiagnostictests.Insomestates
theymayprescribemedication.
Specializedgraduateeducationis
required.
Licensedpracticalandlicensed
vocationalnursesprovidepatientcare
andmayworkunderthesupervisionof
aregisterednurse.Theymustbe
licensed.
Source:StandardOccupational
Classification2010availableonlineat:
www.bls.gov/soc.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations

Figure2.MaleMedianEarningsbyPercentMaleinNursingOccupations:2011
$162,900

$96,400

$61,900

$60,700

$40,200
41%
8%

9%

9%

9%

LPN/LVN

Registerednurses

Average(allnurses)

Nursepractitioners

Nurseanesthetists

Source:U.S.CensusBureau,20111yearAmericanCommunitySurvey
Note:Nursemidwivesareexcludedduetoasmallnumberofsampleobservations.

Knownastheglassescalatoreffect,menhavetypicallyenjoyedhigherwagesandfasterpromotionsin
femaledominatedoccupations.5Asmenenterednursingingreaternumbers,theyweremorelikelyto
becomenurseanesthetists,thehighestpaidnursingoccupation,andleastlikelytobecomelicensed
practicalorlicensedvocationalnurses,thelowestpaidnursingoccupation.Evenamongmenand
womeninthesamenursingoccupations,menoutearnwomen.Figure3showsthatwomenworkingfull
time,yearroundearn93centsforeverydollarmenearnasregisterednurses,89centstothedollar
amongnurseanesthetists,87centstothedollaramongnursepractitioners,and91centstothedollar
amonglicensedpracticalandlicensedvocationalnurses.*Whilewomensearningsinnursingfieldsare
notonparitywithmens,thewagegapissmallerthantheaverageacrossalloccupations:77centsto
thedollar.6

*Thedifferenceinfemaleearningsbetweennursepractitioners,nurseanesthetists,licensedpracticalandlicensedvocational
nurses,andregisterednursesisnotstatisticallysignificant.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations

Figure3.FemaleEarningsasaPercentageofMensEarningsamongFullTime,YearRound
Nurses:2011

87.4%

88.9%

Nursepractitioners

Nurseanesthetists

91.0%

91.3%

92.7%

Average(allnurses)

LPN/LVN

Registerednurses

Source:U.S.CensusBureau,20111yearAmericanCommunitySurvey

References
1.Henderson,Richard.2012.IndustryEmploymentandOutputProjectionsto2020.MonthlyLabor
ReviewJan:6583.
2.InstituteofMedicine.2011.TheFutureofNursing:LeadingChange,AdvancingHealth.TheNational
AcademiesPress.Washington,D.C.
3.Villeneuve,MichaelJ.1994.RecruitingandRetainingMeninNursing:AReviewoftheLiterature.
JournalofProfessionalNursing10(4):217228.
4.Mackintosh,Carolyn.1997.AHistoricalStudyofMeninNursing.JournalofAdvancedNursing
26:232236.

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations


5.Williams,ChristineL.1992.TheGlassEscalator:HiddenAdvantagesforMeninthe"Female"
Professions.SocialProblems39(3):253267.
6.DeNavasWalt,Carmen,BernadetteD.Proctor,andJessicaC.Smith.2012.Income,Poverty,and
HealthInsuranceCoverageintheUnitedStates:2011.U.S.CensusBureauReportP60243.

DataSourceandAccuracy
ThedatapresentedinthisreportarebasedontheACSsampleinterviewedin2011.Theestimates
basedonthissampleapproximatetheactualvaluesandrepresenttheentirehouseholdand
noninstitutionalizedgroupquarterspopulation.Samplingerroristhedifferencebetweenanestimate
basedinasampleandthecorrespondingvaluethatwouldbeobtainediftheestimatewerebasedon
theentirepopulation(asfromacensus).Allcomparativestatementsinthisreporthaveundergone
statisticaltesting,andcomparisonsaresignificantatthe90percentlevelunlessotherwisenoted.In
additiontosamplingerror,nonsamplingerrormaybeintroducedduringanyoftheoperationsusedto
collectandprocesssurveydatasuchasediting,reviewing,orkeyingdatafromquestionnaires.Formore
informationonsamplingandestimationmethods,confidentialityprotection,andsamplingand
nonsamplingerrors,pleaseseethe2011ACSAccuracyoftheDatadocumentlocatedat
www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2011.p
df.

Disclaimer
Thisreportisreleasedtoinforminterestedpartiesofongoingresearchandtoencourage
discussionofworkinprogress.Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthorandnotnecessarily
thoseoftheU.S.CensusBureau.

Contact
Forquestionsrelatedtothecontentsofthisdocumentandtheaccompanyingtables,contact
theauthor:
LianaChristinLandivar
liana.christin.landivar@census.gov
(301)7635878
IndustryandOccupationStatisticsBranch
Social,Economic,andHousingStatisticsDivision
U.S.CensusBureau

U.S.CensusBureau

MeninNursingOccupations