The cost of nurse turnover in 24 numbers | 2025
Nurse shortages and mounting labor costs are among health system CEOs’ top concerns, and a new survey puts numbers to the financial risks hospitals face from nurse vacancies and churn.
The 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report features input from 450 hospitals in 37 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies.
It found the average cost of turnover for one staff RN grew from January through December 2024 to $61,110, among other dollar figures and statistics that are helpful to understand the financial implications of one of healthcare’s most persistent labor disruptions.
Here are 24 numbers that illustrate the cost of nurse turnover, according to the most recent edition of the report, which is available in full here.
1. The turnover rate for staff RNs decreased by 2.4% in 2024 from the year prior, resulting in a national average of 16.4%. Given varying bed size, RN turnover can range from 5.2% to 36.4%.
2. The average cost of turnover for a staff RN increased by 8.6% in the past year to $61,110, with a range of $49,500 to $72,700. This is up from the average cost of turnover for an RN in 2023, which was $56,300.
3. Each percent change in RN turnover stands to cost or save the average hospital $289,000 per year.
4. The RN vacancy rate sat at 9.6% nationally in 2024, down 0.3% from the year prior. This marks an improvement, as hospitals hired approximately 98,000 RNs for a 2024 add rate of 5.6%.
5. The average time to recruit an experienced RN ranged from 62 to 103 days in 2024, with the average sitting at 83 days — three days quicker than the year prior.
7. Every region represented in the report recorded a modest decrease to RN turnover in 2024. The South Central region saw the high end of the average (18%) while the North East region saw the low end (14.6%).
8. Over the past five years, RNs in step down, telemetry and emergency services were most mobile with a cumulative turnover rate between 113% and 121%. “Essentially, these departments will turn over their entire RN staff in less than four and a half years,” the report states.
9. RNs in pediatrics and surgical services were less mobile in that five-year timeframe, exiting at rates of 77.2% and 77.1%, respectively.
