The Nursing Workforce Supply in Connecticut
Since 2013, The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. has been the catalyst in helping nursing and healthcare stakeholders in Connecticut to better understand the demographics of the Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) that compromise Connecticut’s nursing workforces.
Beginning in 2018, The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. (CCNW) partnered with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) and the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) to access a complete dataset of the supply of Connecticut Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) to gain insights into the composition of our nursing workforce to best inform statewide healthcare workforce planning and development efforts.
About the Data
The RN and LPN data were extracted from the 2022 Connecticut Nurse Licensure System Dataset collected by the CT Department of Public Health. The data was collected through the online NurSys Annual Licensing Database using the Minimum Data Set for Nursing Supply, created by the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. CCNW and CTData are excited to highlight findings from this comprehensive dataset, its implications for Connecticut, and key recommendations to ensure that Connecticut establishes a robust and sustainable nursing workforce. This data story focuses on nurses who are licensed in Connecticut and who are actively working in the state.
Notes about the Minimum Data Set for Nursing Supply data:
This dataset highlights the workforce demographics of Connecticut’s licensed Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) including:
Number of nurses who hold an active license in Connecticut, and of those, how many are actually working
Age, ethnicity, and education
Work settings of our employed nurses
Not all data are required to be entered in the survey, so each indicator may have a different response rate
This is the most recent RN and LPN survey data captured in Connecticut between January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, compiled in the spring of 2023, and analyzed and published in September 2023. Previous Connecticut RN and LPN nursing supply data can be accessed for years 2017 and 2020.
Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in Connecticut
In 2022, there were 89,819 registered nurses (RNs) and 14,422 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in Connecticut, based on data collected through the Connecticut Department of Public Health online Nurse Licensure System in 2022.
Of the 89,819 RNs that hold a nursing license:
57.3% (51,514) are actively working
50.1% (45,014) are employed in a nursing capacity within Connecticut
Of the 14,422 LPNs that hold a nursing license:
69.3% (9,990) are actively working
57.8% (8,343) are employed in a nursing capacity within Connecticut
These findings suggest that:
Not all RNs and LPNs who hold nursing licenses are working
Not all RNs and LPNs who are actively working hold positions in nursing/healthcare
Of those RNs and LPNs working in nursing/healthcare, not all have roles that provide hands-on patient care
In Connecticut, there are many jobs that require an RN or LPN license as a criterion for employment, but these roles do not engage in “hands-on” patient care.
The number of licensed nurses in Connecticut has increased by 21% since 2020, from 86,483 in 2020 to 104,241 in 2022. The number of actively practicing nurses in Connecticut has grown by 39%; this rate is similar between RNs and LPNs. In 2020, 49% of licensed nurses in Connecticut were actively practicing in Connecticut, increasing to 58% in 2022.
Change in RNs from 2020 to 2022:
Total licensed RNs has increased by 22%, from 73,339 to 89,819
Actively practicing RNs has increased by 39%, from 36,953 to 51,514
The proportion of licensed RNs who are actively practicing increased from 50% in 2020 to 57% in 2022
Change in LPNs from 2020 to 2022:
Total licensed LPNs has increased by 10%, from 13,144 to 14,422
Actively practicing LPNs has increased by 40%, from 7,130 to 9,990
The proportion of licensed LPNs who are actively practicing increased from 54% in 2020 to 69% in 2022
Age
Registered Nurses
There are 51,154 employed RNs in Connecticut ranging in age from 20 to 96, with a median age of 47.
RNs are most commonly 30-39 (23% of RNs) and 50-59 (22% of RNs)
In comparison, only 11% of RNs are between 20 and 29
Connecticut will experience challenges with meeting its demand for nurses as the older nurses retire, and, reflected in post-Covid-19 2023 employment trends, the younger nurses are leaving the profession.
Not only will Connecticut not have enough to fill existing nursing roles, but when an older nurse leaves, many times their role will necessitate hiring two to three nurses to fill the various job functions they may have amassed over their career. The age distribution of Connecticut nurses has remained relatively consistent between 2020 and 2022. These findings indicate an increased need for nurses which will significantly exacerbate the shortage of available nurses. This article from PressGaney provides differences between seasoned nurses and new nurses, along with suggested strategies for retention.
Licensed Practical Nurses
There are 9,990 employed LPNs in Connecticut ranging in age from 20 to 94, with a median age of 46.
LPNs are most commonly 30-39 (27% of LPNs) and 40-49 (25% of LPNs)
In comparison, only 7% of LPNs are between 20 and 29 years old
Sex of Nurses
Over 90% of nurses in Connecticut identify as female. This is consistent for RNs and LPNs and is similar to national statistics.
Race and Ethnicity
Overall, nearly 100% of actively working RNs and LPNs (61,144) reported their race/ethnicity. The nursing survey allowed RNs and LPNs to select multiple races and ethnicities. For example, an individual who identified as Black, Hispanic, and Other had the option to select all three categories.
When comparing the race/ethnicity of RNs and LPNs, we see that RNs are twice as likely to be Asian and nearly 1.5x as likely to be white, while LPNs are more than 3 times as likely to be Black and twice as likely to be Hispanic or Latino.
From 2020 to 2022, the data did not show much change in the race/ethnicity breakdown of licensed nurses. Between these years:
The share of white RNs decreased from 79% to 76%
The share of Black RNs increased from 8% to 9%
The share of Black LPNs increased from 30% to 31%
Data for race and ethnicity groups can be seen below.
The remainder of this report will focus on the 53,357 RNs and LPNs in Connecticut who are actively employed in a nursing capacity. Of these nurses, 45,014 are RNs and 8,343 are LPNs.
Note: Not all questions in the Connecticut Department of Public Health online Nurse Licensure System were required to be completed for annual licensure.
Education - Highest Degree Attained
For the education question, 95% (42,771) of RNs and 77% (6,396) of LPNs actively employed in nursing reported their highest earned degree.
For RNs in Connecticut:
52% (23,558) earned a baccalaureate degree
20% (9,062) earned an associate’s degree
20% (9,039) earned a master’s degree
2% (1,102) earned a doctoral degree
0.2% (10) earned a certificate
5% (2,243) did not respond
For LPNs in Connecticut:
53% (4,441) earned an LPN/VN certificate
17% (1,376) earned an associate’s degree
6% (494) earned a baccalaureate degree
1% (85) earned a master’s degree
0% (0) earned a doctoral degree
23% (1,947) did not respond
Race and Ethnicity of Nursing Faculty Compared to the Nursing Population in Connecticut
The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc., (CCNW) administers an Annual Nursing Education Survey to all RN and LPN Pre-Licensure Nursing Programs in the state.
The survey captures race/ethnicity information for full- and part-time nursing faculty employed in RN and LPN Education programs. Overall, race/ethnicity data was provided by 80% of faculty.
Compared to actively practicing nurses, RN nursing faculty are less likely to be Asian, Black, or Hispanic or Latino. LPN faculty are less likely to be Black (23%) than actively practicing LPNs (31%) and are more likely to be white (62%) than practicing LPNs (50%).
What Positions and Settings Do Nurses Work In?
A total of 49,489 (93%) RNs and LPNs reported their position. Between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of all nurses in staff nurse positions fell by 1%, although RN staff nurses decreased by 1.3% and LPN staff nurses increased slightly.
The percentage of RNs in advance practice nursing positions increased by 0.9%. The distribution of all other positions remained steady for both RNs and LPNs.
Of the nurses who reported their position:
66% of RNs worked in direct patient care as a staff nurse or nurse manager
79% of LPNs worked in direct patient care as a staff nurse or nurse manager within their respective settings
Overall, 50,120 (94%) nurses reported their work setting. The most common work setting overall was in a hospital, where 36% of nurses worked, followed by 13% of nurses who worked in long term care facilities (nursing homes, extended care, and assisted living facilities).
Between 2020 and 2022, the percent of nurses working in a hospital setting decreased by 1.8% and in long term care settings by 1.4%. The percent of nurses working in insurance claims and benefits increased by 0.9%, and nurses working in other settings increased by 1.5%.
Work settings differ greatly between RNs and LPNs:
42% of RNs work in a hospital, compared to 4% of LPNs
11% of RNs work in ambulatory care settings, compared to 7% of LPNs
45% of LPNs work in nursing homes, extended care, and assisted living facilities, compared to 6% of RNs
12% of LPNs work in home health settings, compared to 6% of RNs
Between 2020 and 2022:
The percentage of RNs working in a hospital setting decreased by 2.4%, while the percentage of LPNs working in a hospital setting increased by 1.3%
The percentage of both RNs and LPNs working in long term care settings decreased by 1.3% for RNs and 2.1% for LPNs
Where Do Nurses Work?
A total of 39,288 (74%) RNs and LPNs reported their employment location.
Collectively, nurses were most likely to work in the Capitol Planning Region - Greater Hartford (26%) and South Central Connecticut Planning Region - Greater New Haven (18%).
The distribution of nurses by planning region is similar for RNs and LPNs, although LPNs are nearly twice as likely to work in the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region than RNs.
RNs are more likely than LPNs to work in New Haven and Hartford:
11% of RNs work in New Haven, compared to 4% of LPNs
8% of RNs work in Hartford, compared to 3% of LPNs
All other towns have a similar distribution of RNs and LPNs (within one or two percentage points). The distribution of RNs and LPNs across towns and planning regions did not see any major shifts between 2020 and 2022.
These data sets were analyzed by utilizing the zip code of employment provided by the RN and LPN. The explanation of the methodology is outlined here.
Visualizations of the data above are available in interactive maps which are correlated to towns and counties using our crosswalks. Union and Lisbon are not included in the crosswalk (hence their values on the town map below are set to 0).
To gain a full understanding related to how these data and findings can be interpreted and utilized for nursing workforce development and planning on a regional or statewide basis, these data must be combined with Connecticut’s nursing education data which highlights information on existing education pipelines, seat capacity for individuals wanting to obtain a RN or LPN credential, retention and graduation rates for RN and LPN Pre-Licensure Programs, and the availability of nurse faculty and clinical placement site opportunities which are required prior to graduation.
It is imperative to integrate these two datasets and findings to develop and define realistic strategies to build sustainable, robust, efficient, and effective pathways to increasing the nursing workforce in Connecticut.
For more information, contact: Marcia B. Proto, M.Ed, CAS, Executive Director for The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. (CCNW) at 203-494-1121 or Marcia@CTCenterForNursingWorkforce.com.