NP Fact Sheet
There are more than 290,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) licensed in the U.S.1
- More than 28,700 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2017–2018.2
- 89.7% of NPs are certified in an area of primary care, and 69.0% of all NPs deliver primary care.3
- 82.9% of full-time NPs are accepting Medicare patients and 80.2% are accepting Medicaid patients.4
- 41.7% of full-time NPs hold hospital privileges; 11.7% have long-term care privileges.4
- 95.7% of NPs prescribe medications, and those in full-time practice write an average of 20 prescriptions per day.4
- NPs hold prescriptive privileges, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and D.C.
- In 2019, the median base salary for full-time NPs was $110,000.3
- The majority of NPs (57.4%) see three or more patients per hour.4
- Malpractice rates remain low; only 1.1% have been named as primary defendant in a malpractice case.4
- NPs have been in practice an average of 10 years.3
- The average age of NPs is 47 years.3
Distribution by NP Certification3
Certification* | Percent of NPs |
| Family^ | 65.4 |
| Adult^ | 12.6 |
| Adult–Gerontology Primary Care^ | 7.8 |
| Acute Care | 5.5 |
| Pediatrics–Primary Care^ | 3.7 |
| Adult–Gerontology Acute Care | 3.4 |
| Women's Health^ | 2.8 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health–Family^ | 1.8 |
| Gerontology^ | 1.7 |
| Hospice and Palliative Care | 1.5 |
* NPs may be certified in more than one area
^ Primary Care Focus
Updated February 2020
Sources:
1 AANP National Nurse Practitioner Database, 2020.
2 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2019). 2018-2019 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing. Washington DC: AACN.
3 2019 AANP National Workforce Survey.
4 2018 AANP National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey.