Physician and Nurse Jobs Outlook USA: BLS Data 2025–2035

Physicians and registered nurses are two of the largest licensed health professions in the United States. If you are planning to study medicine or nursing in the US, or to move there as an international graduate, you probably want to know the same things: how many jobs there are, how pay compares, how fast the field is growing and where the jobs are.

All figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment and median pay are for 2025, projections for 2025–2035, national wage estimates for May 2025, and state employment rankings for May 2023.

Summary table

Physicians and surgeons

Employment and growth

The BLS counts 862,800 physician and surgeon jobs in 2025. It projects growth of 4%, or 31,300 jobs, over 2025–2035. That is "about as fast as the average for all occupations". The BLS expects about 22,100 openings each year on average over the decade.

Pay

The 2025 median pay for physicians and surgeons is $275,930 per year. The median is the point where half of workers earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by specialty. In the May 2025 OEWS release, pediatric surgeons ($502,050) and cardiologists ($454,940) were the two highest-paying occupations in the entire survey. Primary care fields are typically paid less than surgical and procedural specialties.

Where physicians work

The BLS splits physicians into many detailed occupations, such as family medicine physicians, pediatricians and surgeons, so there is no single state ranking for "all physicians". Two large groups, from the May 2023 OEWS profiles:

Large states lead because of population size. Employment per capita and wages give a different picture.

The bottleneck: residency

For physicians, the limiting step is not the job market but training capacity. You can't practice without completing a US residency. The 2026 NRMP Main Residency Match offered a record 44,344 positions, and 93.5% of US MD seniors matched to a PGY-1 position, against 56.4% of non-US citizen IMGs. For international doctors, the realistic question is "can I match?" rather than "are there jobs?". See IMG Pathway to US Residency. The exam steps are covered in the USMLE Step 1 guide and the Step 2 CK guide.

Registered nurses

Employment and growth

The BLS counts 3,465,400 registered nurse jobs in 2025. In the May 2025 OEWS survey, RNs were the largest healthcare practitioner and technical occupation, at about 3.4 million. The BLS projects 6% growth over 2025–2035, or 194,700 new jobs, faster than the average for all occupations. With about 180,800 openings a year on average, nursing offers far more annual openings than medicine.

Pay

Median and mean are different measures. A median is the middle value, a mean is the average. High earners pull the mean up. Remember that cost of living differs a lot between states, so a higher wage doesn't always mean higher real income.

States with the most RN jobs

The entry gate: NCLEX-RN and state licensure

To work as an RN, you must pass the NCLEX-RN and be licensed by a state board of nursing. In 2025, 86.7% of first-time US-educated candidates passed, compared with 47.3% of first-time internationally educated candidates. For internationally educated nurses, exam preparation is often the deciding step. See our NCLEX-RN guide.

Physicians vs nurses: what the data says

Both occupations show steady demand. Physicians have higher pay and a much longer, more selective training path. Nursing has many more openings and a shorter route to practice.

How to read these numbers

• Reference periods differ. OOH medians are for 2025. OEWS means are for May 2025. State rankings here are from May 2023. Don't mix them in a single calculation.
• Projections are not guarantees. BLS projections assume current trends. Policy, funding and technology can change outcomes.
• Specialty matters. "Physicians and surgeons" spans many specialties with very different pay and demand.
• Location matters. Use the OEWS state and metropolitan tables for local decisions.

Where to check the data yourself

• Occupational Outlook Handbook pages for each occupation: median pay, projections, job duties, how to enter the field
• OEWS occupation profiles: employment and wages by state and metropolitan area
• OEWS state tables: compare employment per thousand jobs and wages across states

Next steps

• Planning to become a doctor in the US: Medical School in the USA
• International doctor: IMG Pathway to US Residency and free questions on the USMLE Step 1 course page
• Nurse: the NCLEX-RN guide and free questions on the NCLEX-RN course page