Nurse Practitioner: 45% Projected Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow 45% by 2030.

There are more than 355,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) licensed in the U.S.

• More than 36,000 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2019–2020.
• 88.9% of NPs are certified in an area of primary care, and 70.2% of all NPs deliver primary care.
• 81.0% of full-time NPs are seeing Medicare patients and 78.7% are seeing Medicaid patients.
• 42.5% of full-time NPs hold hospital privileges; 12.8% have long-term care privileges.
• 96.2% of NPs prescribe medications, and those in full-time practice write an average of 21 prescriptions per day
• NPs hold prescriptive privileges, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and D.C.
• In 2020, the median base salary for full-time NPs was $110,000.
• The majority of full-time NPs (59.4%) see three or more patients per hour.³
• NPs have been in practice an average of 11 years.
• The average age of NPs is 49 years.

Nurse practice laws and regulations are specific to each state. This map from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) provides licensure and regulatory requirements, as well as practice environment details, for nurse practitioners in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

March 2023

Practice Environment Details

Full Practice
State practice and licensure laws permit all NPs to evaluate patients; diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests; and initiate and manage treatments, including prescribing medications and controlled substances, under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing. This is the model recommended by the National Academy of Medicine, formerly called the Institute of Medicine, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Reduced Practice
State practice and licensure laws reduce the ability of NPs to engage in at least one element of NP practice. State law requires a career-long regulated collaborative agreement with another health provider in order for the NP to provide patient care, or it limits the setting of one or more elements of NP practice.

Restricted Practice
State practice and licensure laws restrict the ability of NPs to engage in at least one element of NP practice. State law requires career-long supervision, delegation or team management by another health provider in order for the NP to provide patient care.