The chart below displays the frequency and percentages of the responses to items assessing employment status and factors related to any employment changes. Considering current employment status, 89.07% of RNs and 84.35% of LPNs are employed. Of those employed, the majority work in the nursing field: 85.25% of RNs and 75.28% of LPNs. 1.06% of RNs and 2.94% of LPNs are not employed but seeking work in nursing, while 7.45% of RNs and 8.95% of LPNs are retired.

In addition, 71.19% of the RN sample and 77.97% of the LPN sample reported no change in employment status in the past year. For RNs, 15.13% reported a new position with the same employer and 13.67% reported a new position with a different employer. For LPNs, 9.67% reported a new position with same employer, and 12.36% reported a new position with a different employer. In total, 64.25% of RNs and 40.16% of LPNs have worked about the same hours as the prior year. Only 10.56% of RNs and 21.72% of LPNs indicated that they worked fewer hours than the previous year, while 25.29% of RNs and 38.12% of LPNs worked more hours than the previous year in a typical week.

The most common reasons RNs leave their positions are promotions and career advancement (22.76%) followed by dissatisfaction with the prior position (19.36%) and seeking more convenient hours (12.84%). For LPNs, the top reasons are dissatisfaction with previous position (17.02%), salary/medical or retirement benefits (11.83%) and seeking more convenient hours (10.59%). Of those surveyed, 38.52% of RNs and 42.50% of LPNs have had their license for less than 10 years.

For the nurses reporting they provide direct patient care, 67,307 (96.38%) of RNs and 6,903 (95.76%) of LPNs report they work as a nurse in Wisconsin. Of those working in Wisconsin, 85.98% of the RNs and 94.68% of the LPNs provide direct patient care (DPC). Direct patient care is defined as, “Administering nursing care one-on-one to patients, the ill, the disabled, or clients, in the hospital, clinic or other patient care setting.” Examples include providing treatments, counseling, patient education or administering medication.

Both the RN and LPN survey populations are generally older than the Wisconsin labor force at large. The average age of the RN workforce is 46 years, and the median age is 45 years. The average age of the LPN workforce is 49 years, and the median age is 50 years. In comparison, the ACS for Wisconsin reports an average and median age of 44 years. In general, the RN population is younger than the LPN population. 26.31% of RNs are between 30 and 40 years old, compared to 19.17% of the LPNs. Considering the baby boomer population (born between 1946 and 1964), 31.03% of RNs and 39.22% of LPNs are between 55 and 75 years. As the large number of RNs born in the baby boom generation aged, the percentage of the older population increased in the nursing field. This reality plus the aging population has significant implications for workforce planning for the future. Note that only the nurses renewing their licenses are required to complete the survey, and this could explain in part the disparity between the Wisconsin and nursing percentage of the labor force of RNs and LPNs under the age of 25.

In general, there is a lack of diversity in the nursing labor force. LPNs are racially and ethnically more diverse than RNs. 89.64% of LPNs as white and 3.48% as Hispanic, Latino or Latinx; 94.29% of RNs are white and 2.20% are Hispanic, Latino or Latinx. Compared to the total Wisconsin labor force, there is less diversity, especially with the RN group since 88.19% are white and 5.72% are Hispanic, Latino or Latinx for Wisconsin altogether. Most of the nursing workforce resides in Wisconsin (95.30% of RNs and 97.79% of LPNs).

Although 93.93% of RNs and 96.48% of LPNs only speak English, a wide range of languages are spoken. The main second language in the nursing workforce is Spanish; the proportion of Spanish speaking nurses is 2.40% for RNs and 1.73% for LPNs.

Education and ongoing training are critical predictive metrics for RNs and LPNs to provide quality health care in a wide range of settings and situations. The education requirements for RNs and LPNs differ. Most RNs must have at least an associate degree, while LPN only requires completion of a non-degree program. Therefore, the majority (89.12%) of LPNs have less than an associate degree while the opposite is true for RNs. Over the past 10 years the educational attainment of the RN workforce in WI has increased. 88% of the RN sample had an associate degree or higher in 2010 versus 96% in 2020. Specifically, in 2020, 30.88% have an associate degree, 49.41% a bachelor's degree, 14.01% a master's degree, and 1.96% a doctorate degree.

69.83% of RNs and 65.91% of LPNs report no plans for future nursing education. 19.96% of RNs and 20.41% of LPNs plan to further their education within the next two years. 10.21% of the RNs and 13.68% of the LPNs are currently pursuing additional studies. The top challenges for further education for both groups are costs and family/personal reasons. Specifically, the main challenge for RNs is cost of tuition and materials (47.47%), followed by family/personal reasons (31.73%). LPNs' greatest challenge is cost of lost work time and benefits (33.79%), followed by cost of tuition and materials (32.57%).

The chart shows the relationship between the education and age of RNs.

The RNs' figure shows increased educational attainment for younger nurses. The older the population, the higher the percentage with a nursing diploma. Those in the middle age range (35 to 55 years old) have a higher proportion of associate degrees. A bachelor's degree is the norm in the younger age range. The proportion of those with master's and PhD's in nursing or related field is uniform across the different age groups.

The LPNs' figure shows a u-shape for the percentage with a nursing diploma, with the higher percentage in the case of younger than 25 and older than 60. Those in the middle age range (25 to 60 years old) have a higher proportion of associate degrees. The proportion of those with bachelor's, master's, and PhD's in nursing or related field is uniform across the LPNs older than 25.

The tables below indicate the clinical areas in which RNs and LPNs have specialized knowledge and/or experience of two or more years. For RNs, Medical-Surgical (31.50%) leads the way, followed by Acute Care/Critical Care/Intensive Care (29.70%); Adult Health (20.17%); Women's Health (17.00%); and Geriatrics/Gerontology (16.85%). For LPNs, the largest share is in Geriatrics/Gerontology (48.64%), followed by Adult Health (26.91%); Family Health (18.86%); Hospice Care/ Palliative Care (18.03%); and Community Health (16.27%).

The tables below show the specialties in which RNs and LPNs hold current national board certifications. 24.47% of RNs and 26.22% of LPNs report that they are board certified in a medical specialty. The top specialty areas for RNs are: Acute Care/Critical Care; Family Health; and Adult Health and Oncology Nursing (OCN®, CPON®, CBCN, AOCNP®, AOCNS®). The top national board certifications for LPNs are IV Certification; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Emergency Medicine/Nursing beyond Basic Life Support; and Wound Care.

The following figures show annual pre-tax earnings at their primary workplace by gender identity for RN and LPN.

For RNs, almost half of females (47.19%) are in the middle earning range making between $55,000 and $85,000, 31.74% are earning less than $55,000; and only 21.17% are making more than $85,000. Similarly, 45.81% of males are in the middle range of $55,000-$85,000, with 34.47% earning more than $85,000, and only 20% are making less than $55,000. Considering nonbinary identity, 40.42% of them are making less than $55,000, followed by the middle range of $55,000-$85,000.

For LPNs, 81.44% of females are earning less than $55,000; 16.82% are earning between $55,000 and $85,000; and only 1.74% are making more than $85,000. For males, most of them are in the lower earning range (70.79%), with 22.52% earning between $55,000 and $85,000; and only 6.7% are making more than $85,000. Considering nonbinary identity, almost all are making less than $55,000, 6.25% are in the middle earning range making between $55,000 and $85,000, and none is making more than $85,000.