2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey findings. Challenges loom for the RN workforce, though there are some bright spots, according to the biennial National Nursing Workforce Survey from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. The nursing workforce has grown older since 2017, with the median age of RNs now 52 and more than 19% of the RN workforce 65 years or older. Over one-fifth of all respondents noted that they intend to retire within five years. Wages have remained stagnant over time. The median income for RNs increased from $60,000 in 2015 to $70,000 in 2020, a rate that, according to the authors, "just barely beat out inflation." Workforce diversity has improved somewhat, but White RNs still make up about 81% of the workforce. The proportion of Black RNs increased slightly from 6% to 6.7%, and male RNs edged up slightly from 9.1% to 9.4%. The percentage of RNs with a baccalaureate increased by 7.8% to 65.2%, and though the percentage with a baccalaureate as entry to practice did not increase, it did increase among RNs 34 years and younger, a trend the authors state suggests a higher educated RN workforce overall.