Nurse Practitioner 2026 Statistics (Updated September)

How many nurse practitioners are there

1. 1

   AANP counted more than 461,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S. in 2025, after removing duplicate licences within and across states.

   Source: American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2025 NP count (November 2025), 2025 ^[1]

2. 2

   The 2025 AANP count was about 30,000 NPs, or 7%, higher than its count from 2023 data.

   Source: American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2025 NP count (November 2025), 2025 ^[1]

3. 3

   Before removing duplicates, state boards reported well over 650,000 NP licences, because many NPs are licensed in more than one state, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

   Source: American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2025 NP count (November 2025), 2025 ^[1]

4. 4

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 530,577 people hold an active individual NPI registered under a nurse practitioner taxonomy, more than 69,000 above the 461,000 licensed NPs AANP counts.

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES file of September 2026 · active individual NPI records with a 363L taxonomy code · method

5. 5

   Nurse practitioners held about 336,300 jobs in 2025, according to BLS.

   Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 ^[2]

6. 6

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, there are 1.64 active NP registrations in NPPES for every nurse practitioner job on a payroll: 530,577 against 323,040 wage and salary jobs counted by BLS for May 2025.

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES September 2026, BLS OEWS May 2025 · national totals · method

7. 7

   The number of nurse practitioners billing Medicare rose from 109,100 in 2017 to 252,755 in 2025.

   Source: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026 ^[3]

Which states have the most nurse practitioners

1. 8

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, California has 99.1 nurse practitioners per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate of any state and less than half of Tennessee's 233.6. The national rate is 155.8, and Florida has the most NPs of any state, 47,334.

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES September 2026, Census population for July 2024 · 529,938 NPs with a practice address in the 50 states and D.C. · method

Who nurse practitioners are and what they specialise in

1. 9

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 89.0% of nurse practitioners in NPPES are women: 472,038 of 530,577.

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES file of September 2026 · 530,577 active NP records · method

2. 10

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 45.4% of nurse practitioners list family practice as their NP specialty in NPPES (240,705 people); psychiatric and mental health is next at 11.3% (59,747).

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES file of September 2026 · 530,577 active NP records · method

3. 11

   About 88% of nurse practitioners are certified in an area of primary care, according to AANP.

   Source: CBS News (2025), 2025 ^[4]

4. 12

   From 2016 to 2021 only 32% to 34% of nurse practitioners worked in primary care practices, according to the Milbank Memorial Fund's 2024 primary care scorecard, according to CBS News.

   Source: CBS News (2025), 2025 ^[4]

Where nurse practitioners work

1. 13

   46.6% of nurse practitioners work in outpatient or ambulatory care settings and 22.1% in general and surgical hospitals, according to a 2024 review in Cureus.

   Source: Cureus, 2024 ^[5]

2. 14

   About 9% of nurse practitioners and physician assistants work in Federally Qualified Health Centers, according to a 2024 review in Cureus.

   Source: Cureus, 2024 ^[5]

3. 15

   The number of NPs and PAs working in health professional shortage areas grew from 72,000 in 2011 to 110,000 in 2023, according to a 2024 review in Cureus.

   Source: Cureus, 2024 ^[5]

4. 16

   In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 22.7% of nurse practitioners are registered as sole proprietors in NPPES: 120,543 people.

   Source: ProfessionLens · NPPES file of September 2026 · 530,577 active NP records · method

5. 17

   59% of U.S. physicians said they work with physician assistants or nurse practitioners, in a 2024 Health Affairs Scholar survey of 5,823 physicians.

   Source: Health Affairs Scholar, 2024 ^[6]

6. 18

   About one in five nurse practitioners switched jobs each year in 2018 national survey data, a pre-COVID baseline, in a 2023 Health Affairs Scholar study.

   Source: Health Affairs Scholar, 2023 ^[7]

7. 19

   In a 2024 survey, published in the American Journal of Critical Care, of 862 nurse practitioners in 397 hospitals in 10 states, racial and ethnic minority NPs had about twice the odds of reporting frequent workplace discrimination as non-Hispanic White NPs (adjusted odds ratio 2.09).

   Source: American Journal of Critical Care, 2026 ^[8]

How much care nurse practitioners provide

1. 20

   The share of Medicare evaluation and management visits delivered by nurse practitioners and physician assistants rose from 14.0% in 2013 to 25.6% in 2019, in a 2023 BMJ study of Medicare data.

   Source: BMJ, 2023 ^[9]

2. 21

   41.9% of Medicare patients with at least one visit in 2019 saw a nurse practitioner or physician assistant at least once, in a 2023 BMJ study of Medicare data.

   Source: BMJ, 2023 ^[9]

3. 22

   NPs and PAs delivered 41.5% of Medicare visits for respiratory infections and 36.7% for anxiety disorders in 2019, but 13.2% for eye disorders, in a 2023 BMJ study of Medicare data.

   Source: BMJ, 2023 ^[9]

4. 23

   Nurse practitioners wrote 15.6% of all Medicare Part D prescriptions in 2022.

   Source: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026 ^[10]

5. 24

   Cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric and endocrine drugs made up nearly 60% of the Medicare Part D prescriptions written by nurse practitioners.

   Source: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026 ^[10]

6. 25

   Nurse practitioners' share of Medicare Part D psychiatric medication claims rose from 8.6% to 24.8% between 2013 and 2022, while psychiatrists' share fell from 24.4% to 18.0%.

   Source: Medical Care, 2026 ^[11]

7. 26

   Nurse practitioners wrote more psychiatric medication claims for Medicare patients than psychiatrists from 2020 on.

   Source: Medical Care, 2026 ^[11]

8. 27

   From 2013 to 2019, in 29 states that had given NPs prescribing authority, nurse practitioners and primary care physicians with 100 or more patients a year prescribed potentially inappropriate drugs to older Medicare patients at almost the same rate: 1.63 and 1.69 per 100 prescriptions, in a 2023 Annals of Internal Medicine study.

   Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, 2023 ^[12]

Procedures and specialty care

1. 28

   The number of NPs and PAs in clinical practice grew 72% from 2014 through 2021, in a 2024 American Journal of Managed Care study.

   Source: American Journal of Managed Care, 2024 ^[13]

2. 29

   In 2021, 23,581 NPs and PAs filed 9.6 million Medicare Part B procedure claims.

   Source: American Journal of Managed Care, 2024 ^[13]

3. 30

   96% of the Medicare Part B procedures performed by NPs and PAs in 2021 involved the skin or the musculoskeletal system.

   Source: American Journal of Managed Care, 2024 ^[13]

4. 31

   In urology, the number of outpatient procedures performed by nurse practitioners rose 162% from 2014 to 2021, while urologists' own procedure count fell 15%.

   Source: BMC Urology, 2024 ^[14]

5. 32

   The number of nurse practitioners filing claims for the 15 most common outpatient urology procedures rose 156% from 2014 to 2021, while the number of urologists doing so fell 0.66%.

   Source: BMC Urology, 2024 ^[14]

6. 33

   The number of NPs and PAs employed by radiology practices and billing Medicare rose 16.3%, from 523 in 2017 to 608 in 2019.

   Source: Journal of the American College of Radiology, 2023 ^[15]

How much nurse practitioners earn

1. 34

   The median annual wage for nurse practitioners was $132,300 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

   Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 ^[2]

2. 35

   Nurse anesthetists had a median wage of $236,590 in May 2025, against $132,300 for nurse practitioners, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

   Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 ^[2]

3. 36

   Medicare Part B pays nurse practitioners 85% of the physician rate for the same service, according to a 2026 Nursing Outlook paper.

   Source: Nursing Outlook, 2026 ^[16]

4. 37

   207,732 U.S. nurse practitioners received $182,275,340 in general payments from drug and device makers in 2021 and 2022.

   Source: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026 ^[17]

5. 38

   97% of industry payments to nurse practitioners were for food and beverage, 56% of the dollar total.

   Source: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026 ^[17]

How fast the profession is growing

1. 39

   Health Affairs researchers project that the number of nurse practitioners will grow 11% a year through 2030, against 1% a year for physicians.

   Source: Health Affairs, 2026 ^[18]

2. 40

   BLS projects that employment of nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives combined will grow 36% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.

   Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 ^[2]

3. 41

   BLS projects about 32,200 openings a year for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives combined over the decade to 2035.

   Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 ^[2]

4. 42

   Nurse practitioner was ranked the No. 1 job in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Jobs list, for the third year in a row.

   Source: American Association of Nurse Practitioners, press release (January 2026), 2026 ^[19]

5. 43

   Enrollment in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, the degree many NPs now take, reached 44,976 students in 2025, up from 70 students in 2003.

   Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025-2026 enrollment survey (press release), 2026 ^[20]

6. 44

   DNP enrollment grew 5.9%, or 2,488 students, in 2025, the 22nd straight year of growth.

   Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025-2026 enrollment survey (press release), 2026 ^[20]

7. 45

   452 U.S. schools of nursing offered Doctor of Nursing Practice programs in 2025.

   Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025-2026 enrollment survey (press release), 2026 ^[20]

8. 46

   Enrollment in nursing master's programs, the other main route to NP licensure, rose 6.8% or 9,276 students in 2025.

   Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025-2026 enrollment survey (press release), 2026 ^[20]

Frequently asked questions

How many nurse practitioners are there in the US?

AANP counted more than 461,000 licensed nurse practitioners in 2025. In the September 2026 NPPES file, 530,577 people hold an active NPI under a nurse practitioner taxonomy. BLS counts about 336,300 NP jobs.

Which state has the most nurse practitioners?

Florida, with 47,334 NPs by practice address in NPPES, followed by Texas and California. Per resident, Tennessee has 233.6 NPs per 100,000 people and California has the fewest of any state at 99.1.

How much do nurse practitioners make?

The median annual wage for nurse practitioners was $132,300 in May 2025, according to BLS. Medicare Part B pays NPs 85% of the physician rate for the same service.

What percentage of nurse practitioners are women?

89.0% of the NPs in the September 2026 NPPES file are women, 472,038 of 530,577.

How fast is the nurse practitioner profession growing?

Health Affairs researchers project an 11% a year increase in NPs through 2030. The number of NPs billing Medicare rose from 109,100 in 2017 to 252,755 in 2025, and BLS projects 36% job growth from 2025 to 2035 for NPs, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives combined.

How many prescriptions do nurse practitioners write?

Nurse practitioners wrote 15.6% of all Medicare Part D prescriptions in 2022. Their share of psychiatric medication claims rose from 8.6% in 2013 to 24.8% in 2022.

Sources

1. [1]American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2025 NP count (November 2025). 2025.↑1 ↑2 ↑3
2. [2]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2025.↑5 ↑34 ↑35 ↑40 ↑41
3. [3]Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. 2026.↑7
4. [4]CBS News (2025). 2025.↑11 ↑12
5. [5]Cureus. 2024.↑13 ↑14 ↑15
6. [6]Health Affairs Scholar. 2024.↑17
7. [7]Health Affairs Scholar. 2023.↑18
8. [8]American Journal of Critical Care. 2026.↑19
9. [9]BMJ. 2023.↑20 ↑21 ↑22
10. [10]Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. 2026.↑23 ↑24
11. [11]Medical Care. 2026.↑25 ↑26
12. [12]Annals of Internal Medicine. 2023.↑27
13. [13]American Journal of Managed Care. 2024.↑28 ↑29 ↑30
14. [14]BMC Urology. 2024.↑31 ↑32
15. [15]Journal of the American College of Radiology. 2023.↑33
16. [16]Nursing Outlook. 2026.↑36
17. [17]Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. 2026.↑37 ↑38
18. [18]Health Affairs. 2026.↑39
19. [19]American Association of Nurse Practitioners, press release (January 2026). 2026.↑42
20. [20]American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025-2026 enrollment survey (press release). 2026.↑43 ↑44 ↑45 ↑46

Method

We searched Google for nurse practitioner statistics, how many nurse practitioners are there and NP statistics, and PubMed for U.S. studies of nurse practitioners published since 2023. We copied each number from the producer's own page or the paper's abstract, and counted how many of the ranking statistics pages repeat it. Several studies count nurse practitioners and physician assistants together, and the sentences say so. Our own numbers come from the NPPES file of September 2026. We keep individual records with a nurse practitioner taxonomy (363L), drop records with a blank entity type, which are deactivated stubs, and drop records deactivated without reactivation. We print no ratio of nurse practitioners to physicians: since 2021 medical students can take NPIs under a student taxonomy, so NPPES physician counts are inflated. Population figures are Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates, and payroll jobs come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025.

ProfessionLens numbers new on this page:

• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 530,577 people hold an active individual NPI registered under a nurse practitioner taxonomy, more than 69,000 above the 461,000 licensed NPs AANP counts. Individual (entity type 1) NPPES records with any nurse practitioner taxonomy code (363L) in any of the 15 taxonomy slots. Records with a blank entity type are deactivated stubs and are dropped, as are records deactivated and never reactivated. NPPES taxonomy codes are self-reported and rarely updated, so the count includes some people who no longer practise.
• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 45.4% of nurse practitioners list family practice as their NP specialty in NPPES (240,705 people); psychiatric and mental health is next at 11.3% (59,747). Each person's NP specialty is the 363L code marked as primary, or the first 363L code when none is marked. 18.7% (98,983) use the generic nurse practitioner code with no specialty. 70,520 people list two or more NP codes.
• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 89.0% of nurse practitioners in NPPES are women: 472,038 of 530,577. NPPES sex code on the same records; 57,477 are coded male and 1,062 X or unknown.
• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, California has 99.1 nurse practitioners per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate of any state and less than half of Tennessee's 233.6. The national rate is 155.8, and Florida has the most NPs of any state, 47,334. NP records by practice-location state divided by Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates. D.C. has 255.0 per 100,000, and Hawaii (105.4) is the second-lowest state. 639 records with a practice address outside the states are left out.
• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, 22.7% of nurse practitioners are registered as sole proprietors in NPPES: 120,543 people. The NPPES Is Sole Proprietor flag on the same records. The flag is self-reported at enrolment.
• In the ProfessionLens count of NPPES registrations, there are 1.64 active NP registrations in NPPES for every nurse practitioner job on a payroll: 530,577 against 323,040 wage and salary jobs counted by BLS for May 2025. NPPES NP count divided by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics employment for SOC 29-1171 Nurse Practitioners. OEWS counts payroll jobs only, so the gap includes self-employed NPs, NPs working as registered nurses and NPs who have left clinical work but kept their NPI.

All 46 statistics as a CSV: nurse-practitioner-statistics.csv.

Cite this page

ProfessionLens, “Nurse Practitioner 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://professionlens.com/research/nurse-practitioner-statistics

To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://professionlens.com/research/nurse-practitioner-statistics#stat-1.