Healthcare Hiring Demand Continues to Grow Across the United States

Healthcare Remains a Major Source of Employment Growth

Healthcare employment is expected to continue expanding faster than employment across many other sectors of the U.S. economy.

Several factors are contributing to this trend.

The U.S. population is aging, increasing demand for healthcare services and long-term care. At the same time, advances in medical technology allow healthcare providers to diagnose and treat conditions that previously required different or more limited forms of care.

The expansion of outpatient services is also creating additional demand for healthcare workers outside traditional hospital settings.

As healthcare delivery becomes more distributed across hospitals, outpatient clinics, physician offices, rehabilitation facilities, home health services and long-term care settings, employers need workers with a broad range of clinical and technical skills.

Nursing Remains One of the Largest Healthcare Hiring Markets

Registered nursing remains one of the largest healthcare employment categories in the United States.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6% employment growth for registered nurses from 2025 through 2035, compared with approximately 3% growth across all occupations.

BLS projects approximately 180,800 registered nurse job openings each year during this period.

These openings reflect both new positions created by employment growth and vacancies resulting from nurses leaving the occupation or retiring.

Nurses are employed across virtually every major healthcare setting, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, physician offices, nursing facilities, home healthcare and community health organizations. To bridge acute regional staffing gaps and accommodate seasonal patient surges, healthcare networks are increasingly relying on dedicated assignments for Registered Nurses (RN) / Travel Nursing to stabilize patient-to-nurse staffing ratios and maintain critical bed capacity.

Because of this broad employment base, changes in nursing demand can have a significant effect on the overall healthcare labor market.

Demand Extends Beyond Registered Nurses

Healthcare hiring demand is not limited to registered nurses.

Healthcare organizations are also actively recruiting board-certified Nurse Practitioners (NP), physician assistants, medical technicians, therapists, diagnostic professionals and other specialized clinicians.

Advanced practice professionals can play an important role in expanding access to care, particularly in settings where organizations face difficulty recruiting physicians.

Other healthcare occupations are also expected to benefit from continued demand for medical services.

Medical assistants, laboratory professionals, imaging technicians, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and other allied health professionals support the increasingly complex healthcare delivery system.

The result is a labor market in which hiring demand is distributed across many different occupations rather than concentrated in a single profession.

Rural Healthcare Faces Additional Staffing Challenges

Workforce shortages can be particularly difficult for rural healthcare organizations.

Rural hospitals and clinics often serve geographically dispersed populations and may have fewer healthcare professionals available within their local labor markets.

Recruiting licensed Physicians / MD-DO, registered nurses and specialized clinical professionals can therefore be more challenging than in larger metropolitan healthcare markets.

Rural facilities may also have fewer financial resources and smaller patient populations, making workforce recruitment and retention an ongoing operational concern.

HHS Announces Funding for Small Rural Hospitals

Federal support for rural healthcare remains an important part of efforts to address these workforce challenges.

On September 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced nearly $25 million in funding for 132 small rural hospitals across 13 states.

The funding is intended to support small rural hospitals as they maintain essential healthcare services and address operational and workforce needs.

Financial assistance can help rural hospitals strengthen their ability to retain physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals while continuing to provide services to communities that may have limited alternatives for local medical care.

The funding also reflects the broader importance of maintaining healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.

Workforce Retention Is Becoming as Important as Recruitment

For healthcare employers, filling open positions is only one part of the workforce challenge.

Retention has become increasingly important as organizations compete for experienced workers.

Healthcare employees may leave positions because of retirement, career changes, workload, compensation, scheduling requirements or other employment conditions.

As a result, hospitals and healthcare organizations increasingly need to consider both recruitment and retention when developing workforce strategies.

Competitive compensation, benefits, professional development opportunities and manageable working conditions can all influence an organization's ability to retain experienced staff.

Aging Population Supports Long-Term Healthcare Demand

Population demographics are another major factor supporting healthcare employment growth.

Older adults generally use healthcare services more frequently than younger populations, increasing demand for physicians, nurses, therapists, home health workers and long-term care professionals.

As the number of older Americans increases, healthcare organizations are expected to require additional staff to provide preventive care, chronic disease management, rehabilitation and long-term support.

This demographic trend is particularly important for nursing, home healthcare and long-term care occupations.

Outpatient Care Is Expanding

Healthcare employment is also being influenced by the continued expansion of outpatient care.

Many procedures and treatments that historically required hospital-based care can now be provided in outpatient facilities.

This creates employment opportunities in ambulatory surgery centers, specialty clinics, physician practices, diagnostic facilities and other outpatient settings.

For healthcare workers, this means that job opportunities are increasingly available outside traditional hospital environments.

The expansion of outpatient care can also change the types of schedules, work environments and clinical responsibilities available to healthcare professionals.

Technology Is Changing Healthcare Jobs

Technology is another factor influencing healthcare employment.

Electronic health records, advanced diagnostic equipment, telehealth and other digital tools have changed how healthcare professionals deliver services and communicate with patients.

The rapid rise of virtual patient care models has spurred significant growth in dedicated Telehealth / Remote / Virtual Jobs, providing clinicians with unprecedented scheduling flexibility while connecting rural patients to specialized consultations without long-distance travel.

Technology does not eliminate the need for healthcare workers, but it can change the skills required for certain positions.

Healthcare organizations increasingly need employees who can combine clinical knowledge with the ability to work effectively with digital systems and specialized medical technology.

At the same time, the growing use of technology can allow healthcare providers to serve patients in different locations and support more efficient delivery of certain services.

Healthcare Hiring Demand Varies by Location

National employment projections do not mean that hiring conditions are identical across every state or metropolitan area.

Healthcare demand can vary significantly depending on population growth, age demographics, local provider availability and the presence of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Large metropolitan areas can have extensive healthcare employment opportunities, but they may also have greater competition for jobs.

Rural and underserved communities can experience the opposite situation: strong demand for healthcare workers but a smaller pool of available candidates.

These geographic differences can create opportunities for healthcare professionals who are willing to consider locations where employers face persistent recruitment challenges.

Rural Hospitals Need Multiple Types of Healthcare Workers

The staffing needs of rural hospitals extend beyond physicians and registered nurses.

Small hospitals also depend on laboratory personnel, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, nursing assistants, administrative workers and other healthcare professionals.

When a rural facility cannot recruit enough staff in one area, the shortage can affect the organization's ability to provide a broader range of services.

For this reason, workforce development programs increasingly focus on multiple healthcare occupations rather than physicians alone.

Healthcare Job Openings Will Include Replacement Demand

The projected 1.9 million annual openings across healthcare occupations should not be interpreted as 1.9 million newly created positions every year.

A significant portion of these openings is expected to come from replacement demand.

Workers retire, change occupations, reduce working hours or leave the labor force for other reasons. Healthcare employers therefore need to recruit new workers even when the total number of positions in a particular occupation changes only modestly.

This replacement component is especially important in occupations with large existing workforces.

Education and Training Remain Important

The continuing demand for healthcare workers also increases the importance of education and workforce development.

Many healthcare occupations require specialized education, licensing or certification.

Registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, therapists, laboratory professionals and other clinical workers generally need specific qualifications before they can practice.

Healthcare employers, educational institutions and workforce programs therefore face the challenge of preparing enough qualified workers to meet future demand.

Expanding training capacity can be particularly important in regions where healthcare workforce shortages are persistent.

Healthcare Hiring Outlook

The U.S. healthcare labor market is expected to remain active as employers respond to several long-term trends simultaneously.

These include:

• Population aging and increased healthcare utilization across demographic groups
• Continued demand for nursing and advanced practice professionals
• Workforce retirements and employee turnover creating extensive replacement openings
• Expansion of outpatient and community-based surgical and diagnostic care
• Persistent staffing challenges in rural and critical-access communities
• Greater use of medical technology, digital tools, and virtual healthcare delivery
• Continued demand for specialized diagnostic and clinical services

Together, these factors are expected to support continued hiring across a wide range of healthcare occupations.

What the Current Data Means for Healthcare Professionals

For healthcare professionals and job seekers, the current labor market provides opportunities across multiple occupational categories.

Registered nursing remains one of the largest sources of healthcare employment, while demand also extends to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, technicians, therapists and other allied health professionals.

Job seekers willing to work in rural or underserved communities may encounter different employment conditions from those in large metropolitan markets, including employers actively seeking candidates for difficult-to-fill positions.

However, individual hiring conditions can vary significantly by specialty, experience, location and employer.

What the Current Data Means for Healthcare Employers

For hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations, the data highlights the importance of long-term workforce planning.

Organizations must prepare not only for new demand but also for retirements and turnover among existing employees.

Recruitment strategies may need to be combined with retention programs, professional development, competitive compensation and efforts to improve working conditions.

For rural hospitals in particular, federal and state workforce programs can provide additional support as facilities attempt to maintain essential services.

Outlook Through the Next Decade

The combination of demographic changes, healthcare utilization and workforce turnover is expected to keep healthcare among the most active employment sectors in the United States.

The BLS projection of approximately 1.9 million healthcare-related job openings annually illustrates the scale of expected demand.

Nursing will remain a particularly important part of the market, with 6% projected employment growth for registered nurses between 2025 and 2035 and approximately 180,800 RN openings per year.

At the same time, rural healthcare organizations will continue to face distinctive recruitment challenges, making federal support and workforce development programs increasingly important.

The latest data therefore points to a healthcare labor market characterized by sustained demand rather than a short-term hiring cycle. Hospitals, clinics, long-term care providers and other healthcare employers are likely to continue recruiting across a broad range of clinical and support occupations as the United States responds to changing demographics and healthcare needs.