Healthcare Turnover Rate: Full Data Breakdown (2026)
Healthcare turnover averages 22.7% across all roles. Full breakdown by role, care setting, causes, and what improves retention.
Diego Cárdenas
Founder of Turnozo
Healthcare has a turnover problem that goes deeper than the headline numbers suggest. The overall rate varies wildly depending on which role you're looking at, what kind of facility, and even what generation your staff belongs to.
This page consolidates the most current data on healthcare employee turnover. Every number is sourced. Use it for budgeting, retention planning, or benchmarking your facility against the industry.
The headline numbers
22.7%
Average annual turnover rate across all healthcare roles. That's higher than the US all-industry average of roughly 31-36% total separations, though the comparison gets complicated because healthcare tracks voluntary turnover differently. Source: The Resource Company, 2025 Healthcare Turnover Report
18.3%
Hospital-specific turnover rate as of 2024, down 2.4% from the prior year. This number covers acute care hospitals only - other settings like long-term care run much higher. Source: 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report
106.6%
Cumulative hospital workforce turnover over the past five years. In other words, the average hospital has replaced its entire workforce - and then some - since 2020. And 95.4% of those separations were voluntary. Source: DailyPay, Healthcare Turnover Rates 2024
$56,300
Average cost to replace one bedside Registered Nurse. A typical hospital loses between $3.9 and $5.8 million per year on RN turnover alone. Every percentage point change in nurse turnover rate equals roughly $289,000 gained or lost. Source: 2025 NSI Report
Turnover rate by healthcare role
Not all positions turn over at the same rate. The gap between the top and bottom is enormous.
| Role | Annual Turnover Rate | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) | 31.2% | Low pay, high physical demand |
| Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) | 36.3% | Similar to CNAs, limited growth |
| Registered Nurses (RNs) | 16.4-27.1% | Burnout, shift demands, patient ratios |
| Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) | 24.8% | Limited advancement opportunities |
| Non-RN Nursing Staff | 24% | Physical demands, compensation |
| Service Positions | 21% | Entry-level, low attachment |
| Medical Technologists | 15.9-21.4% | Specialized but routine work |
| Clerical/Admin Staff | 17-18.9% | Predictable schedules help retention |
| Pharmacists | 10.7% | Higher pay, professional status |
| Management | 14% | Greater autonomy, better compensation |
Sources: 2025 NSI Report; Rellevate, Healthcare Turnover Stats 2025; DailyPay
The pattern: the closer to the bedside and the lower the pay, the higher the turnover. CNAs and PCTs - the people doing the hardest physical work - leave at more than double the rate of managers. That's not a coincidence. It's a compensation and career-path problem.
Turnover by care setting
Where you work matters as much as what you do.
| Care Setting | Annual Turnover Rate | Why It's Different |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term care / Nursing homes | 32.1-53.3% | Lower pay, higher patient ratios, physical demands |
| Intensive Care Units (ICUs) | 29.7% | Emotional toll, life-or-death pressure |
| Emergency Departments | 28.4% | Unpredictable workload, trauma exposure |
| Home Health Services | 26.9-79.2% | Isolation, travel, variable conditions |
| General Hospitals | 25.3% | Shift work, complex procedures |
| Rehabilitation Centers | 23.2% | Moderate demands, team-based care |
| Outpatient Clinics | 19.8% | Regular hours, lighter acuity |
| Specialty Practices | 17.6% | Predictable cases, stable patient relationships |
Sources: The Resource Company; DailyPay; Rellevate
The standout: home health agency workers leave at 79.2% annually. That's not a typo. The combination of travel, isolation, and variable home environments makes it one of the hardest healthcare settings to retain staff.
Long-term care facilities aren't far behind. Nursing homes report nursing staff turnover of 53.3% and RN turnover of 51.9% - more than triple the rate of specialty practices.
The generational divide
Press Ganey analyzed 2.3 million US healthcare employees and found turnover rates that vary dramatically by generation:
| Generation | Turnover Rate |
|---|---|
| Gen Z (born ~1997-2012) | 38% |
| Millennials (born ~1981-1996) | 22% |
| Baby Boomers (born ~1946-1964) | 19% |
| Gen X (born ~1965-1980) | 14% |
Source: Press Ganey analysis, via Rellevate
Gen Z workers are leaving at nearly three times the rate of Gen X. And since millennials and Gen Z now make up half the healthcare workforce, their expectations around schedule flexibility, financial wellness, and career development aren't optional to address - they're the retention baseline.
The cost breakdown
Healthcare turnover is expensive at every level, but the RN numbers get the most attention for good reason.
Per-nurse replacement cost
| Cost Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Recruiting (ads, agencies, HR time) | $15,000-$25,000 |
| Signing bonuses | $5,000-$15,000 |
| Onboarding & training | $10,000-$15,000 |
| Lost productivity (ramp-up period) | $10,000-$20,000 |
| Travel nurse premium (if needed) | 2-3x regular staff cost |
| Total per RN turnover event | $56,300 average |
Source: 2025 NSI Report
What is turnover costing your facility?
Enter your numbers to see the annual cost of nursing turnover at your hospital or clinic.
$2,477,200
/year in turnover costs
That is 418 years of Turnozo. Better scheduling reduces burnout-driven turnover by giving staff predictable shifts and fair hour distribution.
See how better scheduling helpsAnd that's just nurses. CNA and PCT replacement costs are lower per person - maybe $3,000-$5,000 each - but the volume is so much higher that the total cost can be comparable.
The hidden costs are harder to quantify but equally real:
- Patient outcomes suffer - understaffing directly correlates with higher readmission rates, more medication errors, and worse patient satisfaction scores
- Remaining staff burn out - they pick up extra shifts, get stretched thin, and eventually leave too, creating a vicious cycle
- Institutional knowledge walks out - that experienced charge nurse who knew every doctor's preferences, every patient's history? Irreplaceable in ways that don't show up on a spreadsheet
Why healthcare workers actually leave
The reasons aren't what most administrators assume. It's not just about pay.
| Reason for Leaving | Prevalence |
|---|---|
| Burnout and emotional exhaustion | #1 driver across roles |
| Schedule inflexibility | Critical for hourly and shift workers |
| Patient-to-staff ratios | Especially in nursing homes and hospitals |
| Limited career advancement | Biggest factor for CNAs and PCTs |
| Compensation below market | Particularly for support roles |
| Workplace culture | Manager relationship is the key variable |
| Physical demands | Lifting, standing, repetitive strain |
The vacancy problem compounds turnover
The national RN vacancy rate stands at 9.6%. When positions stay open, it takes an average of 94 days to fill a medical/surgical RN role - over three months. During that gap, remaining staff absorb the workload, accelerating burnout and driving more exits.
It's a flywheel that spins in the wrong direction. Turnover creates vacancies. Vacancies create overwork. Overwork creates more turnover.
The preventable turnover gap
44%
Of healthcare turnover is considered potentially preventable through improvements in the work environment. Source: Rellevate, Healthcare Turnover Stats 2025
For a hospital with 5,000 employees at 18.3% turnover, that's roughly 400 preventable departures per year. At even $20,000 average replacement cost across all roles, that's $8 million in avoidable annual spending.
What actually reduces healthcare turnover
The research points to specific interventions that move the needle.
1. Schedule predictability and flexibility
Schedule complaints are among the top reasons healthcare workers leave. Giving staff more input into their schedules - self-scheduling, shift swaps, advance notice - has measurable retention effects. Specialty practices achieve the lowest turnover partly because their schedules are the most predictable.
2. Competitive CNA and PCT compensation
These roles have the highest turnover because the pay doesn't match the physical and emotional demands. Facilities that bring support staff compensation closer to market rates see immediate retention improvements. It's often the cheapest fix relative to the turnover cost it prevents.
3. First-year onboarding programs
First-year turnover among new hires is a leading indicator of broader retention problems. Strong mentorship programs, realistic job previews, and structured check-ins during the first 90 days significantly reduce early exits.
4. Manager development
The relationship with the direct manager is the single biggest factor in whether someone stays or goes. In healthcare, where charge nurses and floor managers control scheduling, assignments, and daily experience, investing in their leadership skills pays off across every team member they manage.
5. Reducing administrative burden
Nurses increasingly cite documentation requirements as a major frustration. Tools and processes that reduce time spent on paperwork - giving clinicians more time for actual patient care - improve satisfaction and retention.
Healthcare turnover benchmarks
Where does your facility stand?
| Benchmark | Annual Turnover Rate |
|---|---|
| Industry average (all healthcare) | ~22.7% |
| Hospital average | ~18.3% |
| Acceptable | 15-20% |
| Good | 10-15% |
| Best-in-class | Below 10% |
Sources: NSI Report; The Resource Company
Specialty practices and outpatient clinics routinely hit below 20%. Hospitals that invest seriously in retention - competitive pay, schedule flexibility, strong managers - can push below 15%. Getting there requires sustained effort, but the ROI is clear when each percentage point of RN turnover equals $289,000.
How to calculate your healthcare turnover rate
The formula:
Turnover Rate (%) = (Number of Employees Who Left ÷ Average Number of Employees) × 100
Break it down by:
- Role - CNAs, RNs, and admin staff need different retention strategies
- Department - an ICU at 30% and a specialty clinic at 15% need different interventions
- Tenure - first-year turnover signals onboarding problems, not compensation issues
- Voluntary vs. involuntary - they have completely different root causes
Track monthly. Look for trends over 6-12 month windows. The department-level data is where the actionable insights live - one floor might be at 10% while another is at 35%, and the difference is almost always the manager.
The bottom line
Healthcare turnover is structurally higher than many industries because the work is hard - physically, emotionally, and mentally. But the gap between industry average (22.7%) and best-in-class (below 10%) is huge, and most of the difference comes from controllable factors.
Schedule flexibility. Competitive support staff pay. Strong onboarding. Good managers. Less paperwork.
Every percentage point of RN turnover equals $289,000. For CNAs and PCTs, the per-person cost is lower but the volume is higher. Either way, retention isn't a soft HR initiative - it's a financial imperative.
Related reading:
The Real Cost of Employee Turnover (2026 Data)
Full breakdown by role and industry
Retail Turnover Rate: Full Data Breakdown
Comparison with another high-turnover sector
Healthcare Shift Scheduling Guide
The scheduling fixes that improve retention
Employee Scheduling Best Practices
What works across industries
Frequently asked questions
The overall healthcare turnover rate is approximately 22.7% across all roles as of 2025. Hospital-specific turnover sits at 18.3%, down from 20.7% the previous year. Certain roles like CNAs (31.2%) and ICU staff (29.7%) see rates well above average.
The biggest drivers are burnout from high patient-to-staff ratios, emotional exhaustion from critical care, schedule unpredictability, and below-market compensation for support roles like CNAs and PCTs. Voluntary departures account for 95.4% of all hospital separations.
The average cost to replace one bedside RN is $56,300. A typical hospital loses between $3.9 and $5.8 million per year on RN turnover alone. Every one-percentage-point change in nurse turnover translates to roughly $289,000 gained or lost annually.
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) have the highest turnover at 31.2% annually, followed by non-RN nursing staff at 24%. The combination of physically demanding work, low pay, and limited advancement opportunities drives most CNA exits.
The most effective levers are schedule predictability, competitive compensation for support roles, strong onboarding programs, and manager development. Research shows that up to 44% of healthcare turnover is considered preventable through workplace improvements.
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