NP Fact Sheet

There are approximately 157,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) practicing in the U.S.

• An estimated 11,000 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2010-2011
• 93% of NPs have graduate degrees
• 97% of NPs maintain national certification
• 18% of NPs practice in rural or frontier settings
• 88% of NPs are prepared in primary care; 68% of NPs practice in at least one primary care site
• 87% of NPs see patients covered by Medicare and 84% by Medicaid
• 43% of NPs hold hospital privileges; 15% have long term care privileges
• 96.5% of NPs prescribe medications, averaging 20 prescriptions per day
• NPs hold prescriptive privilege in all 50 states, with controlled substances in 48
• The early-2011 mean, full-time NP base salary was $91,310, with average full-time NP total income $98,760
• 60% of NPs see three to four patients per hour; 7% see over five patients per hour
• Malpractice rates remain low; only 2% have been named as primary defendant in a malpractice case
• Average NP is female (96%) and 48 years old; she has been in practice for 12.8 years as a family NP (49%)

Distribution, Mean Years of Practice, Mean Age by Population Focus

* Primary care focus

Downloadable PDF

Sources:
AANP National NP Database, 2010-2011
2011 AANP National NP Compensation Survey
2010 AANP National Practice Site Survey
2009 AANP Membership Survey
2009-2010 AANP NP Sample Survey