This chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the 10 largest occupational groups in the United States, plotted against their mean annual pay — nurses are up there making $70,000 a year, and all the rest are way lower:
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3569916/nursing.0.png)
As you can see, there are basically two outliers here. Retail sales personnel are way more common than any other kind of job, and registered nurses are far better-paid than any other commonly practiced occupation. And for people and communities thinking about the future, this is likely to be a pretty robust result. Nursing jobs aren't going to be outsourced to Asia, tomorrow's older population will need more nurses, and technological advances will likely let nurses and other mid-skill medical professionals shoulder more of the load of overall health-care provision.
Hospitals are the factories of the modern economy, and nurses are the modern-day equivalent of the well-paid middle-class factory worker. It's a difficult job that requires commitment, discipline, and hard work, but it's not a winner-take-all superstar economy, and there are lots of positions available.
