Did the Bureau of Labor Statistics change nursing occupation codes or classifications between 2017 and 2021?
Executive summary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) implemented a new Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) edition—the 2018 SOC—with decisions published November 28, 2017 for implementation in reference year 2018, and BLS/partners continued to refine SOCs thereafter including a 2021 SOC update that introduced newly defined occupations [1] [2]. Available sources document that major SOC revisions occurred in 2018 (implemented 2018) and that BLS released newly defined occupations in 2021, but the sources do not enumerate a specific list showing every nursing occupation code change between 2017 and 2021 [1] [2].
1. What the BLS itself says about SOC timing and changes
The Office of Management and Budget published final decisions for the 2018 SOC on November 28, 2017, and the 2018 SOC was designated for implementation beginning with reference year 2018; that process produced new codes, titles, and definitions across occupations [1]. The BLS also maintains a SOC update page and a standing SOC Policy Committee that continues to review and recommend changes after formal revision cycles [3] [1].
2. Evidence of nursing-specific reclassification before 2018
BLS historical reporting shows one clear nursing-related reclassification earlier: when OES switched from the 2000 SOC to the 2010 SOC, advanced-practice nursing roles (nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists) were split out from a broader “registered nurses” category in 2012; that change is explicitly noted in BLS analysis [4]. This demonstrates BLS has a precedent for separating advanced-practice nursing roles into distinct detailed SOC codes when revision warranted it [4].
3. Did BLS change nursing codes between 2017 and 2021?
Available sources confirm that a formal SOC revision was decided in late 2017 for implementation in 2018 [1] and that BLS published additional newly defined occupations in 2021 as part of SOC updates [2]. However, the provided documents do not list a definitive, itemized set of nursing occupation code changes occurring specifically in the 2018 implementation or in the 2021 updates; therefore, the precise mapping of which nursing SOC codes changed between 2017 and 2021 is not found in current reporting [1] [2].
4. How BLS changes typically work—and why that matters for nursing data
BLS and the SOC Policy Committee revise codes, titles, and definitions through periodic cycles; the 2018 SOC was the product of that cycle and the Direct Match Title File and definitions were updated as part of implementation [1]. Such systematic changes can reassign occupations to new detailed codes or move titles across groups—actions that affect longitudinal comparisons of employment counts and wages unless analysts use crosswalks or bridging files [5] [1]. The provided SOC revision guidance describes occupations that “moved” and how users should expect changes [5] [1].
5. Reporting after 2018: 2021 updates and sector commentary
Reporting external to BLS (HRMorning) described a 2021 release of newly defined occupations and noted the faster-than-usual cadence for changes amid pandemic-era labor shifts; that article indicates 50 newly defined occupations were released in 2021 and remarks that healthcare roles—including advanced nursing roles—have appeared among newly defined or emphasized occupations in past cycles, though it does not supply a definitive nursing-code change list for 2017–2021 [2]. This commentary signals that BLS activity continued post-2018 but does not replace official BLS crosswalk documentation.
6. Practical guidance for analysts and journalists
If you need to compare nursing employment or wages across 2017 and 2021, rely on BLS crosswalks and the Direct Match Title File accompanying the SOC manuals or OES/OEWS tables for the precise code mappings and bridging instructions; the 2018 SOC home and revision documents are the starting point for those crosswalks [1] [5]. The sources above indicate revision occurred and that nursing categories have been redefined in prior cycles (2012 separation) but do not provide a step-by-step crosswalk for nursing codes between 2017 and 2021 in the provided documents [4] [1].
Limitations and open items: the sources provided confirm SOC revision events (2018 implementation, 2021 additions) and prior nursing reclassification in 2012, but available sources do not mention a comprehensive, source-listed table of nursing-specific code changes or the exact SOC code numbers changed between 2017 and 2021; to answer that precisely, consult BLS crosswalk files and the SOC detailed code lists published by BLS for 2010, 2018, and any 2021 supplemental updates [1] [5] [2].