Nursing Ranked as the Most Ethical and Honest Profession for 23rd Year in a Row

For an impressive 23rd year, nursing was rated as the most ethical and honest profession once again in 2024, according to a Gallup poll. Despite its #1 ranking, 76% of U.S. adults believed nurses have “very high” or “high” honesty and ethical standards, 7 points lower than the 2023 poll. In fact, the public's trust in all professions decreased in the most recent poll.

It appears that American people are more cautious about who they are handing out their trustworthy badges to, so that makes the fact that nursing nabbed the #1 spot yet again—for the 23rd year in a row!—all the more impressive.

Who’s at the Top

The Gallup Honesty and Ethics poll originated back in 1976 and has been conducted every year since 1990. If you’re doing the math that means that–yup–nurses have ranked as #1 almost the entire time. (The only year they were displaced was after 2001, when firefighters claimed the top spot, understandably.) Only a small percentage of professions have been on the list every year. 

2024’s poll was conducted in December 2-18, 2024, and asked Americans to rank 23 professions. The results placed nurses above medical doctors as the most trusted profession. 76% of Americans ranked nurses as trustworthy based on the Gallup poll scale of “very high, high, average, low or very low.” 

Nurses secured the top spot, with a 15-point lead over grade school teachers, who landed in second place with only a 61% approval rating. Medical doctors, held the fifth place for the second year in a row, trailing nurses by a significant 23 points, with only 53% of Americans considering them the most trustworthy. Among the top 5 professions, three were of the medical profession - nurses, pharmacists, and doctors. The other two were grade school teachers and military officers. 

Source: Gallup

Here’s the full breakdown of how the top 5 professions ranked by trustworthiness: 

• Nursing: 76% 

• Grade school teachers: 61% 

• Military officers: 59%

• Pharmacists: 57%

• Medical Doctors: 53%

Overall, the numbers for the top five were lower compared to previous years, but every profession dropped significant percentage points for the second year in a row in the current Gallup poll.

Who’s at the Bottom

The bottom-dwellers of the Gallup poll included the following three professionals, 

•  TV Reporters: 13%
• Members of Congress: 8%
• Lobbyists: 4%

While the Gallup poll results represent an impressive achievement for the nursing profession as a whole, it also represents a significant decrease in the perception of the healthcare profession as a whole, with both medical doctors and nurses seeing a rather larger drop in numbers from last year. 

Nursing Opportunities

Looking ahead to 2025, trends suggest the nursing field will continue to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of registered nurses will rise 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. This increased demand is expected to drive opportunities for career advancement and higher pay.