Oncology nursing statistics at a glance
Oncology nursing sits at the intersection of a fast-moving specialty workforce and a large, still-growing cancer burden. The numbers below show why the field keeps drawing attention: credentialing capacity, workforce demand, care settings, wages, and projected cancer incidence all point in the same direction.
Key takeaways
- ONCC offers 8 credential programs and reported more than 41,000 currently certified nurses, with 42,808 total active credentials as of January 1, 2026 (ONCC About page).
- ONS connects more than 35,000 fellow oncology nurses, which shows how large the specialty community already is (ONS Member Connections page).
- Registered nurses are projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, with about 189,100 openings each year on average (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- The median annual wage for registered nurses was $93,600 in May 2024, but pay varies a lot by setting (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- Cancer of any site is projected to reach 2,114,850 new U.S. cases in 2026, which helps explain the ongoing need for oncology-trained nurses (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
Contents
- Credentialing and specialty scale
- Workforce demand for registered nurses
- Where registered nurses work and what they earn
- Cancer burden that shapes oncology nursing
- What the numbers suggest for oncology nursing roles
Credentialing and specialty scale
Oncology nursing is not a narrow corner of nursing practice. The credentialing infrastructure alone shows a mature specialty with multiple pathways, sub-specialties, and active professional participation.
ONCC offers 8 credential programs and said it accredits 5 certification examinations through NCCA (ONCC About page). It also reported more than 41,000 currently certified nurses, which is a strong indicator that oncology-specific credentialing is widely used in practice (ONCC About page).
A separate credential snapshot from ONCC reported 42,808 total active credentials as of January 1, 2026 (ONCC About page). The same source listed several active credential counts that reveal how the specialty breaks down into distinct practice areas:
- 31,339 active OCN credentials (ONCC About page)
- 3,494 active CPHON credentials (ONCC About page)
- 3,361 active TCTCN credentials (ONCC About page)
- 2,603 active AOCNP credentials (ONCC About page)
- 988 active CBCN credentials (ONCC About page)
- 426 active CPON credentials (ONCC About page)
- 316 active AOCN credentials (ONCC About page)
- 281 active AOCNS credentials (ONCC About page)
That mix matters because it suggests oncology nursing is not only a general skill set, but also a system of role-specific credentials that support different practice environments. In other words, the specialty is broad enough to require multiple credentials and deep enough to support advanced practice, pediatric, breast care, and clinical specialist roles (ONCC About page).
ONS adds another dimension of scale. It connects more than 35,000 fellow oncology nurses, giving the field a large professional network beyond certification alone (ONS Member Connections page). That kind of network can support education, peer learning, and role identity, all of which matter in a specialty where clinical knowledge changes quickly.
Fast fact box
- 8 credential programs are offered by ONCC (ONCC About page).
- More than 41,000 nurses were currently certified through ONCC (ONCC About page).
- 42,808 total active credentials were reported by ONCC as of January 1, 2026 (ONCC About page).
- More than 35,000 oncology nurses are connected through ONS (ONS Member Connections page).
Workforce demand for registered nurses
Oncology nursing sits inside the broader registered nurse labor market, so national RN trends are a useful demand signal. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects registered nurses to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Registered Nurses page). That is a meaningful growth rate for a large occupation, especially when paired with projected openings.
BLS says there will be about 189,100 RN openings each year on average over the decade (BLS Registered Nurses page). It also projects RN employment to rise from 3,391,000 in 2024 to 3,557,100 in 2034, a change of +166,100 jobs over the period (BLS Registered Nurses page).
For oncology nursing, those numbers matter in two ways. First, they imply a substantial replacement and growth market for RNs generally. Second, they suggest ongoing competition for nurses with strong specialty training, because oncology care often depends on nurses who can manage complex treatment plans, symptom control, infusion workflows, patient education, and care coordination.
The broader labor market does not tell the whole story, but it does explain why oncology nurse recruitment and retention remain important topics. If a specialty nurse role sits inside a labor market adding 166,100 jobs over ten years, employers usually have to think carefully about onboarding, certification support, scheduling, and professional development (BLS Registered Nurses page).
RN growth table
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Projected RN employment growth, 2024-2034 | 5% | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Average annual RN openings | about 189,100 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| RN employment in 2024 | 3,391,000 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| RN employment in 2034 | 3,557,100 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Net change | +166,100 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
Where registered nurses work and what they earn
Oncology nurses work in more than one setting, and the setting mix affects day-to-day practice, caseload, and pay. BLS reported that 59% of registered nurses worked in hospitals (BLS Registered Nurses page). That makes hospitals the dominant RN setting and an especially important place to look when thinking about inpatient oncology, infusion services, and acute cancer care.
The next largest setting in the BLS breakdown was ambulatory healthcare services, where 19% of registered nurses worked (BLS Registered Nurses page). That matters for oncology because a large share of cancer care is delivered outside the hospital, including outpatient treatment and follow-up. Other settings included nursing and residential care facilities at 6%, government excluding state and local education and hospitals at 5%, and educational services at 3% (BLS Registered Nurses page).
Compensation also varies by setting. BLS reported a median annual wage for registered nurses of $93,600 in May 2024 (BLS Registered Nurses page). The wage spread is wide:
- Lowest 10% earned less than $66,030 (BLS Registered Nurses page)
- Highest 10% earned more than $135,320 (BLS Registered Nurses page)
Median pay also differed by work environment:
| Work setting | Median annual wage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $106,480 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Hospitals | $97,260 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Ambulatory healthcare services | $83,780 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $81,820 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
| Educational services | $74,360 | BLS Registered Nurses page |
Those differences are useful for oncology nursing because compensation often reflects workflow complexity, staffing pressure, and the type of patient population served. Hospitals pay more than the overall RN median in the BLS data, while ambulatory care and educational services sit lower (BLS Registered Nurses page). For nurses comparing oncology career paths, that spread is a reminder that specialty and setting together shape earnings.
Setting snapshot
- Hospitals employ the largest share of RNs at 59% (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- Ambulatory healthcare services account for 19% of RNs (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- The overall median RN wage is $93,600 (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- Government settings have the highest listed median RN wage in the table at $106,480 (BLS Registered Nurses page).
Cancer burden that shapes oncology nursing
The demand side of oncology nursing is driven by the burden of cancer itself. SEER projects 2,114,850 new U.S. cases of cancer of any site in 2026 and 626,140 U.S. deaths from cancer of any site in 2026 (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site). It also reports an age-adjusted new-cancer rate of 450.7 per 100,000 people for all sites (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
Those national totals are large enough to explain why oncology care requires a large, specialized workforce. Every new diagnosis can generate a long chain of nursing work: treatment preparation, symptom monitoring, medication education, side-effect management, triage, patient support, and coordination across services.
The cancer-site projections reinforce that point. SEER lists several common cancers with very large projected case counts for 2026:
| Cancer site | New cases projected for 2026 | Deaths projected for 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prostate cancer | 333,830 | 36,320 | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Female breast cancer | 321,910 | 42,140 | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Female Breast Cancer |
| Lung and bronchus cancer | 229,410 | 124,990 | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Colorectal cancer | 158,850 | 55,230 | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Melanoma of the skin | 112,000 | not listed in the supplied statistics | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Bladder cancer | 84,530 | not listed in the supplied statistics | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Kidney and renal pelvis cancer | 80,450 | not listed in the supplied statistics | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 79,320 | not listed in the supplied statistics | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
| Uterine cancer | 68,270 | not listed in the supplied statistics | SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites |
Two of the individual-site mortality figures stand out. Lung and bronchus cancer is projected to cause 124,990 deaths in 2026, which is the highest death figure listed in the supplied statistics (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites). Pancreatic cancer is projected to cause 51,980 deaths in 2026 (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites). These figures show why oncology nursing includes not only treatment support but also palliative care, symptom relief, family communication, and emotionally demanding end-of-life work.
Cancer workload signals
- 2,114,850 new cancer cases are projected in the U.S. in 2026 for cancer of any site (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
- 626,140 cancer deaths are projected in the U.S. in 2026 for cancer of any site (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
- 450.7 per 100,000 is the age-adjusted new-cancer rate for all sites (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
What the numbers suggest for oncology nursing roles
The data points above do not tell a single story; they describe a whole ecosystem. On the supply side, oncology nursing has a visible credentialing structure, a large certified base, and a wide professional network through ONCC and ONS (ONCC About page; ONS Member Connections page). On the labor-market side, registered nursing is still expanding, with 5% projected growth and 189,100 average annual openings from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Registered Nurses page). On the demand side, cancer incidence and mortality remain high enough to sustain specialty services at scale (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site).
That combination points to several practical realities:
- Oncology nurses are likely to keep working in both hospital and ambulatory settings, because those are the two largest RN employment groups in the BLS data (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- Certification remains a meaningful differentiator, because ONCC’s credential portfolio includes 8 programs and tens of thousands of active credentials (ONCC About page).
- Pay will continue to vary by setting, with government and hospital roles generally higher in the data than ambulatory care and educational services (BLS Registered Nurses page).
- Cancer care demand will keep pressing on staffing, because the projected case counts for major cancers are still very large in 2026 (SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Common Cancer Sites; SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Female Breast Cancer).
For readers comparing oncology nursing as a career path, the most useful takeaway is simple: this is a specialty with both scale and depth. The scale comes from the patient burden and the broad RN labor market. The depth comes from credentialing, specialized roles, and the range of settings where oncology nurses practice.
For employers, the same numbers imply something else. A specialty built on 42,808 active credentials, a 35,000-plus professional network, and a national RN workforce that continues to grow is a field where training, retention, and role design matter as much as headcount (ONCC About page; ONS Member Connections page; BLS Registered Nurses page).
For patients and families, these figures point to the invisible infrastructure behind cancer care. The profession depends on a large base of nurses, but oncology nursing also depends on targeted expertise that standard generalist staffing alone cannot replace.