About the census 

In 2024, CNO conducted its first-ever Workforce Census to help us and our health care system partners better understand identities, practice and employment characteristics of nurses in Ontario. As a result of this survey, CNO published its first Workforce Census report called Demographics and Nursing Practice.

Second census report is available now 

In spring 2026, CNO published its second report with additional census survey findings. The Workforce Census: Experiences with CNO Report examines how nurses from diverse communities perceive CNO’s regulatory processes and equity initiatives.

See the report’s companion information sheet to learn about key findings and actions CNO commits to taking to advance equity in regulation. 

Information sheets 

Based on the findings from the census, CNO has also released a set of information sheets. These resources focus on workplace inequities and barriers nurses face in their practice. 

Workforce census: Frequently Asked Questions 

More than 31,000 members completed the Workforce Census, which represents more than 15% of nurses in the General, Extended and Non-Practising classes. While we had a large sample of respondents, those 31,000 don’t fully reflect the population of nurses in Ontario. There are some differences between the composition of nurses who completed the census and the population of nurses in Ontario. 

However, the results provide meaningful insights into the lived experiences of respondents and represent the largest sample of demographic and identity data collected from nurses in the province. It also presents an opportunity for targeted outreach to under-represented groups to build trust and enhance engagement before we conduct another census. 

We conducted this survey to gain deeper insight into identities of nurses in Ontario and their experiences with CNO. Collecting, analyzing and acting on this information supports CNO’s mandate of protecting the public, while promoting fair and equitable regulatory practices.

Watch the accompanying webinar, Workforce Census: Collecting, Reporting and Utilizing Identity-Based Data, to learn more about the census results.

Developing the census

We collaborated with valuable partners, community leaders and equity experts specializing in health system data collection, to develop equity-focused census questions. 

We thank the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, Canadian Black Nurses Alliance, Pan-Canadian Association of Nurses of African Descent (Ontario Black Nurses’ Network and Canadian Black Nurses Network), and the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO’s) Black Nurses Task Force.

CNO's workforce census video

Brent Knowles, Director, Analytics and Research at CNO shares why it's important to hear from nurses about their experiences working in health care.

Workforce Census Video

Questions about The Workforce Census?