Close to 300,000 actively licensed registered nurses (RNs) live in California, making nursing the largest health profession in the state. In the last 10 to 15 years, nurses' roles have expanded as they have assumed more responsibility for the delivery of health care.

Recognizing the key role that nurses play in providing care to patients across the health care system, legislators have passed nurse-to-patient staffing ratio regulations for hospitals, colleges have increased the number of educational programs, and private-sector investments have supported the growth of the profession's ability to meet demand. Published as part of the CHCF California Health Care Almanac, California Nurses Facts and Figures examines California's nursing workforce, including supply, education, and demographics.

Key findings include:

• The number of practicing California nurses nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008, outpacing overall population growth. However, California still ranks near the bottom of all states in the number of RNs per capita.
• Over the last two decades, California's nursing workforce has grown increasingly diverse; the percentage of non-white nurses has nearly doubled to comprise more than 40% of the workforce. However, the workforce still does not reflect California's general population, as a large part of the non-white growth is made up of foreign-trained nurses from the Philippines.
• Over the past decade, California has seen significant growth in the number of RN educational programs and graduates.
• Between 2004 and 2008, the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) in California more than doubled. The NP credential is the most frequently held advanced practice certification.
• RN incomes increased by more than 50% from 1990 to 2008, significantly outpacing inflation.
• Since 2000, the number of licensed vocational nurse (LVN) educational programs in California has more than doubled to over 200, driven by the proliferation of private, for-profit programs. LVN employment per capita increased slightly.

The complete snapshot is available as a Document Download.