For our 2024 rankings, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on nearly 3,000 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States. We evaluated each school on three dimensions:
Our mission at Nursing Schools Almanac is to provide aspiring nurses a detailed, comprehensive, and analytical resource for selecting their future nursing school. An integral part of this effort is our annual rankings of the best nursing schools in the country.
To provide a complete view, we collected a wealth of data on nearly 3,000 nursing schools and campuses nationwide. We then assessed each of these institutions on three critical dimensions.
For our 2024 rankings, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on nearly 3,000 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States. More than 1,800 of the institutions surveyed were public, including community and technical colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. We evaluated each school on three dimensions:
For our 2024 rankings, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on nearly 3,000 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States. More than 1,100 of the institutions surveyed were private, including vocational and career schools, liberal arts colleges, and universities. We evaluated each school on three dimensions:
For our 2024 rankings, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on nearly 3,000 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States. We included the following states within our New England rankings: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. We evaluated each nursing school in the region on three dimensions:
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Nursing is one of Missouri’s largest healthcare professions. The state is home to more than 128,000 nurses working in a broad range of roles. Approximately 2,400 of these nursing professionals work in the Saint Joseph metropolitan area. This city of 76,000 residents has approximately 1,260 registered nurses (RNs), 350 licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 800 certified nursing assistants (CNAs).
Nursing is America’s largest healthcare profession. In the state of Minnesota, you will find a thriving healthcare community of more than 115,000 licensed nurses. Even in smaller cities like Saint Cloud, nurses form a large and growing share of the workforce. The Saint Cloud metropolitan area is home to 2,310 registered nurses (RNs), 1,160 licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 1,320 certified nursing assistants (CNAs).
The Rome, Georgia, metropolitan area is home to more than 2,500 nursing professionals. Included among these are 1,450 registered nurses (RNs), 390 licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 600 certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Each nursing role carries its own responsibilities, educational requirements, and licensure testing.
Rochester, Minnesota, is home to a population of more than 11,000 nursing professionals. These individuals work in a broad range of nursing roles. With a population of more than 8,000, registered nurses (RNs) make up the largest group of local healthcare professionals. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are the second-largest, numbering over 1,500 in the metropolitan area. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are the third-largest group, with 880 licensed professionals.
The Redding, California, metropolitan area is home to 60 nurse practitioners (NPs), 1,740 registered nurses (RNs), 350 licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), and 550 certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Many of these nursing professionals earned their degree or certificate at a local college or university. Redding has several high-quality nursing schools, including Simpson University, Shasta College, and Institute of Technology (IOT). Collectively, these schools offer programs for a wide breadth of nursing career paths.
The Quad Cities metropolitan area includes four neighboring cities along the Illinois-Iowa border, each with a population over 35,000. These four principal cities are Davenport, Iowa; Moline, Illinois; Rock Island, Illinois; and Bettendorf, Iowa. The healthcare industry in the Quad Cities metropolitan area is robust, including more than 6,500 nursing professionals. The four most common nursing roles are nurse practitioner (NP), registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), and certified nursing assistant (CNA).
Florida’s healthcare industry is one of the largest in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state is home to 174,710 registered nurses (RNs), 44,820 licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 90,890 certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Head to places like Pompano Beach, Florida, and you will find hundreds of nurses working across these roles. Many of these professionals earned their degree or certificate at a local school.
Nursing is the nation’s largest healthcare profession. With more than 450,000 nursing professionals across all roles, California is home to more nurses than any other state. In Pomona, California, you will find hundreds of nurses working at dozens of hospitals in or near the city. Some of the largest local healthcare providers are Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Casa Colina, Glendora Community Hospital, and Kindred Hospital San Gabriel.
In order to thrive in the competitive nursing industry of Pembroke Pines, Florida, you will need to earn a certificate or degree from an accredited school. The city’s most common nursing roles are registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), and certified nursing assistant (CNA). Many of these professionals completed their nursing education at a local school. Two top local options are Keiser University and Florida Career College.
Healthcare is one of the top industries in Florida. Nurses are the largest group of professionals in this industry, with approximately 175,000 registered nurses (RNs), 45,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 90,000 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) practicing in the state. Not surprisingly, these are also the most common nursing roles in major cities like Panama City.