Washington, D.C., has the highest number of active registered nurse licenses per capita, according to an analysis by Becker's. The state with the most active RN licenses per 100 residents is Vermont. California has the highest number of active licenses, but it has the fewest number of licenses per 100 residents.
The analysis is based on July 2020 U.S. Census data, as well as data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's electronic information system, Nursys. Nursing regulatory bodies frequently report licensure data via Nursys.
Here is a state-by-state breakdown of active RN licenses per capita using the data, in descending order.
Note: Data was not available for Michigan.
| State | Population | Number of Active RN Licenses | Active RN Licenses per 100 Residents |
| District of Columbia | 712,816 | 30,644 | 4.30 |
| Vermont | 623,347 | 20,587 | 3.30 |
| Rhode Island | 1,057,125 | 27,787 | 2.63 |
| Alaska | 731,158 | 18,419 | 2.52 |
| Connecticut | 3,557,006 | 82,363 | 2.32 |
| Massachusetts | 6,893,574 | 155,122 | 2.25 |
| South Dakota | 892,717 | 19,357 | 2.17 |
| Minnesota | 5,657,342 | 120,296 | 2.13 |
| North Dakota | 765,309 | 16,047 | 2.10 |
| Maine | 1,350,141 | 28,057 | 2.08 |
| Delaware | 986,809 | 19,496 | 1.98 |
| Hawaii | 1,407,006 | 27,451 | 1.95 |
| Wisconsin | 5,832,655 | 112,441 | 1.93 |
| Alabama | 4,921,532 | 94,465 | 1.92 |
| Ohio | 11,693,217 | 223,548 | 1.91 |
| Missouri | 6,151,548 | 117,309 | 1.91 |
| New Hampshire | 1,366,275 | 25,749 | 1.88 |
| West Virginia | 1,784,787 | 33,560 | 1.88 |
| Iowa | 3,163,561 | 58,759 | 1.86 |
| New York | 19,336,776 | 358,364 | 1.85 |
| Kansas | 2,913,805 | 53,516 | 1.84 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,783,254 | 234,339 | 1.83 |
| Montana | 1,080,577 | 19,644 | 1.82 |
| Indiana | 6,754,953 | 120,707 | 1.79 |
| Illinois | 12,587,530 | 221,270 | 1.76 |
| Oregon | 4,241,507 | 74,027 | 1.75 |
| Mississippi | 2,966,786 | 50,942 | 1.72 |
| Nevada | 3,138,259 | 52,584 | 1.68 |
| Kentucky | 4,477,251 | 73,022 | 1.63 |
| Nebraska | 1,937,552 | 31,579 | 1.63 |
| Florida | 21,733,312 | 350,761 | 1.61 |
| Tennessee | 6,886,834 | 110,603 | 1.61 |
| New Jersey | 8,882,371 | 140,893 | 1.59 |
| Wyoming | 582,328 | 8,996 | 1.54 |
| Washington | 7,693,612 | 118,564 | 1.54 |
| South Carolina | 5,218,040 | 78,275 | 1.50 |
| Arkansas | 3,030,522 | 45,105 | 1.49 |
| Maryland | 6,055,802 | 87,181 | 1.44 |
| New Mexico | 2,106,319 | 30,283 | 1.44 |
| Idaho | 1,826,913 | 26,225 | 1.44 |
| Colorado | 5,807,719 | 82,096 | 1.41 |
| North Carolina | 10,600,823 | 149,508 | 1.41 |
| Arizona | 7,421,401 | 103,980 | 1.40 |
| Louisiana | 4,645,318 | 63,188 | 1.36 |
| Georgia | 10,710,017 | 140,873 | 1.32 |
| Virginia | 8,590,563 | 112,740 | 1.31 |
| Oklahoma | 3,980,783 | 51,987 | 1.31 |
| Utah | 3,249,879 | 40,817 | 1.26 |
| Texas | 29,360,759 | 368,177 | 1.25 |
| California | 39,368,078 | 468,171 | 1.19 |
| Michigan | 9,966,555 | N/A | N/A |
| United States | 329,484,123 | 5,099,874 | 1.55 |