We often see potential Travel nurses asking if they are too old to start travel nursing. Moreover, it’s important for travel nursing companies to know the age of their customers in order to provide the world-class service they deserve. So in this article, we take a look at all the age-related research we could find to determine the average age of travel nurses and other related details.
The Average Age of a Travel Nurse
Our research indicates the following:
The average age of travel nurses is 44 (43.87 to be exact).
The median age of travel nurses is 46.
How we determined the average age of a travel nurse
We had a difficult time coming up with these numbers. Initially, we found a lot of information that answered different age-related questions about travel nurses. We discuss that information below because it is relevant and interesting.
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The question
Eventually, we came across a pretty good question posed in a popular social media group in September of 2018. The original-poster asked:
Interested in general info….what are the ages of you travelers….I’m doing a paper on age discrimination in nursing staff vs travelers. Any input would be appreciated…..
This is a fairly straightforward question. First, it asks for current ages. Second, it specifies that only travelers should answer.
The sample size
We tallied 423 answers that were clear and concise. Next, we used Survey Monkey’s “Sample Size Calculator” to determine if the sample size was statistically relevant.
We ran the numbers for a population size of 40,000 to 100,000 travel healthcare professionals. Survey Monkey’s calculator estimates that we need a sample size of between 380 and 400 to achieve a confidence level of 95% with a margin of error of 5%. Therefore, we have an adequate sample size.
The sample population
It’s important to consider that this survey is from Facebook. Therefore, it is measuring only people who use Facebook.
It is possible that certain demographics use Facebook more than others. However, Facebook usage statistics indicate that its user base provides a fairly accurate representation of the American population.
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With all that statistics mumbo-jumbo out of the way, we can get back to the fun stuff!
Travel nurses by age-range
Next, we tallied the ages by decade. We used the following ranges: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+. Here is a graph depicting the results:
As you can see, the percentage of travel nurses by age-range is as follows:
Percent of Travel Nurses by Age Range
- 19.4% of travel nurses are age 20-29 (82 respondents).
- 17.7% of travel nurses are age 30-39 (75 respondents).
- 22.2% of travel nurses are age 40-49 (94 respondents).
- 31.2% of travel nurses are age 50-59 (132 respondents).
- 9.5% of travel nurses are age 60+ (40 respondents).
In case you’re wondering, one respondent was in their 70s. That traveler was 70 years old.
What age do travel nurses start travel nursing?
As we mentioned above, we found a lot of other interesting age-related information about travel nurses. Another member of a popular Facebook group asked the following question in December of 2017:
Curious to find out the age folks are when they started to do Travel nursing. I am currently looking into it for the first time.
This a great survey question. It’s simple and to the point. There were 490 responses so it’s definitely statistically relevant. Here are the results:
The average age to start travel nursing is 41 (41.14 to be exact).
The median age to start travel nursing is 42.
As you can see, there is a difference of 3-4 years between the average age people start travel nursing and the average age of current travel nurses.
Here again, we tallied the starting ages by decade. Here is a graph depicting the results:
As you can see, the percentage of travel-nurse-starting-ages by age-range are as follows:
Percent of Travel Nurses by Age at Start
- 24.5% start travel nursing between 20-29 years old (120 respondents).
- 18.8% start travel nursing between 30-39 years old (92 respondents).
- 28% start travel nursing between 40-49 years old (137 respondents).
- 23.7% start travel nursing between 50-59 years old (116 respondents).
- 5.1% start travel nursing between 60+ years old (25 respondents).
In case you’re wondering, no respondents indicated that they started travel nursing in their 70s.
Comparison to Previous Study on Travel Nursing Start Ages
During our research, we came across information from 2012 on start-ages for travel nurses. Onward Healthcare, a staffing agency now owned by AMN Healthcare, published their results in an infographic.
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Unfortunately, the webpage is no longer active on Onward Healthcare’s website. However, we found a copy on Archive.org and you can view it here.
Interestingly, this research is misquoted in numerous locations across the web. In most cases, articles misquote the research to indicate that it covers the average age of travel nurses. However, it asked the following question:
What age range did you take your first travel nursing job?
As we saw above, these are two very different questions. Also, we can’t vouch for the accuracy of the results. Onward simply said that they polled the travel nurses working for them. We have no clue how many travelers were polled.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the actual raw data. Here is what Onward Healthcare reported:
From Onward Healthcare 2012
- 17.1% start travel nursing between 25-30 years old
- 26.9% start travel nursing between 30-40 years old
- 34.7% start travel nursing between 40-50 years old
- 21.3% start travel nursing at age 50+ years old
Onward Healthcare vs. Facebook on Travel Nurse Start Age
As you can see, Onward Healthcare’s results were quite a bit different than the results we found on Facebook. Specifically, we see the following differences:
- Facebook reports 7.4% higher for ages 20-29.
- Facebook reports 8.1% lower for ages 30-39.
- Facebook reports 6.7% lower for ages 40-49.
- Facebook reports 7.5% higher for ages 50+ (we combined Facebook 50-59 and 60+).
Am I too Old to Start Travel Nursing?
While the numbers are definitely different between these two polls, one thing is abundantly clear. You’re not too old to start travel nursing.
In the Facebook poll, 56.8% of respondents reported that they started travel nursing after the age of 40. Meanwhile, 28.8% reported that the started travel nursing after age 50.
The Question Matters
We found several other polls that dealt with the age of travel nurses. However, they all had questions that we believe resulted in biased outcomes. We are sharing two of them here because you might find them interesting.
Example of Multifaceted Bias
A member of a popular Facebook group posed the following question in December of 2018:
Ever wonder how many other travelers in the group are your age? Fill out the poll and lets see what the age ranges in the group are!!
The poll provided 3 options for respondents to select from. They were Millennial (Age 22-37), Generation X (Age 38-53), and Baby Boomers (Age 53+).
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This is a fun poll! However, there are two issues that might bias the results. First, the question encourages group members to respond. Not all group members are travel healthcare professionals.
Second, the answer descriptions might cause confusion. There is widespread disagreement on the exact age ranges of the generations. As a result, someone might see “Millennial” and misidentify themselves based on the age range provided in the question.
Results and Comparison
1,906 members responded to the poll. The results are as follows:
- 55.8% identified as “Millennial”
- 32% identified as “Generation X”
- 12.2% identified as “Baby Bommers”
These numbers are much different than the numbers from the poll we used above to calculate the average age of travel nurses. Remember, that poll question asked:
Interested in general info….what are the ages of you travelers….I’m doing a paper on age discrimination in nursing staff vs travelers. Any input would be appreciated…..
It’s important to note the possibility that our question struck a nerve with older travel nurses which got them to respond in greater numbers. Therefore, it could be biased too.
Either way, we tallied the results into the same age ranges used above to describe the generations. Here are the results:
- 35.7% identified as “Millennial”
- 33.8% identified as “Generation X”
- 30.5% identified as “Baby Bommers”
As you can see, these numbers are much different. Unfortunately, it’s tough to know which one is more accurate given that there is a little bias built into both questions.
Strong Bias toward Older Respondents
A member of a popular Facebook group asked the following question in January of 2017:
Curious , anyone older than 45? Roll call , how old are you ,and what is too old? I am truly curious. By the way, I am 60.
You can see that the question starts out by asking if anyone is older than 45. It goes on to ask what age is too old to start travel nursing. Both of these topics strike a nerve with older travelers.
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The question also asks, “…how old are you?” which appeals to all ages. We tallied 380 responses. Here are the results:
Age Biased Question: Results
- 1.6% answered between 20-29 years old (6 respondents).
- 5% answered between 30-39 years old (19 respondents).
- 29.2% answered between 40-49 years old (111 respondents).
- 45.8% answered between 50-59 years old (174 respondents).
- 18.4% answered between 60+ years old (25 respondents).
Can We Be Certain?
So, what does all this mean? Unfortunately, we can’t be entirely certain! We’re pretty sure that we have the average age of travel nurses pegged down. We’re also pretty confident that we have the average age that people start travel nursing pegged down.
However, there maybe a slight tinge of bias in each of the questions. Moreover, the platform used to collect the responses, Facebook, might also bias the outcomes.
In any case, we hope that travel nursing companies can use this information to better understand their customers. More importantly, we hope the information helps nurses and healthcare professionals of all ages approach travel nursing with confidence.
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