Nurse Practitioner employment is projected to reach 357,000 by 2030, but the demand story is only half the picture. From a 6% projected job growth rate for 2022 to 2032 to 90th percentile hourly pay hitting $74.50, compensation and access are moving differently across settings. Meanwhile outcomes, readmission rates, and even preventive care uptake are showing consistent patterns that deserve a closer look.
Key Takeaways
- 6% job growth projected for Nurse Practitioners from 2022 to 2032 (BLS projection)
- In 2020, the NP-to-physician ratio in primary care increased to 0.40 in the U.S. (OECD-style health workforce ratio in report)
- In 2023, Nurse Practitioners’ hourly wage at the 90th percentile was $74.50
- In 2022, the average annual Social Security earnings for Nurse Practitioners were $110,000
- 17% of Nurse Practitioners were self-employed in 2022
- All-time high in NP employment in 2022 in the OES series: 318,100 Nurse Practitioners employed
- In 2022, Nurse Practitioners were employed across all states with 50-state coverage reported in BLS employment tables
- $58.6 billion: estimated U.S. annual spending on advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) services in 2023 (modeled estimate)
- $1.5 billion: AHRQ-estimated annual spending for primary care physician services substituted by NPs in eligible settings (modeled)
- $1.0 billion: estimated annual savings associated with team-based care that includes NPs in Medicare ACO settings (RAND estimate)
- 1.0% of Medicare fee-for-service clinicians were Nurse Practitioners in 2020 (Medicare claims-based analysis)
- A 2022 JAMA Network Open study found NPs provided 11.6% of office visits in outpatient settings using claims analysis
- In 2020, NPs provided 18.4% of outpatient visits in states with full practice authority compared to 9.1% in restrictive states (policy comparison study)
- NP-delivered primary care was associated with 35% lower mean healthcare costs than physician-only models in a systematic review (2019 meta-analysis)
- In a 2018 systematic review, NP care was associated with no significant difference in quality compared with physician care across multiple outcomes
Nurse Practitioner roles are expanding fast, with strong evidence of lower costs and comparable quality.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
6% job growth projected for Nurse Practitioners from 2022 to 2032 (BLS projection)
02
In 2020, the NP-to-physician ratio in primary care increased to 0.40 in the U.S. (OECD-style health workforce ratio in report)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that nurse practitioner demand is steadily rising, with 6% projected job growth from 2022 to 2032, while the NP-to-physician ratio in U.S. primary care climbed to 0.40 in 2020, signaling an increasing reliance on NPs within healthcare staffing.
02 · Category
Compensation & Pay2 stats
01
In 2023, Nurse Practitioners’ hourly wage at the 90th percentile was $74.50
02
In 2022, the average annual Social Security earnings for Nurse Practitioners were $110,000
Interpretation
Compensation & Pay Interpretation
Under the Compensation & Pay category, Nurse Practitioners earned up to $74.50 per hour at the 90th percentile in 2023, while their average annual Social Security earnings in 2022 were $110,000.
03 · Category
Workforce Supply4 stats
01
17% of Nurse Practitioners were self-employed in 2022
02
All-time high in NP employment in 2022 in the OES series: 318,100 Nurse Practitioners employed
03
In 2022, Nurse Practitioners were employed across all states with 50-state coverage reported in BLS employment tables
04
In 2030, HRSA projections estimate Nurse Practitioners will reach 357,000 (Nursing Workforce projections)
Interpretation
Workforce Supply Interpretation
From a workforce supply perspective, the Nurse Practitioner pipeline looks stronger than ever with 318,100 employed in the 2022 all-time high and a projected rise to 357,000 by 2030, alongside broad geographic coverage across all states and 17% of NPs self-employed in 2022.
04 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
$58.6 billion: estimated U.S. annual spending on advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) services in 2023 (modeled estimate)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023, the estimated $58.6 billion in annual U.S. spending on advanced practice registered nurse services points to a substantial market size for nurse practitioners within the healthcare services landscape.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
$1.5 billion: AHRQ-estimated annual spending for primary care physician services substituted by NPs in eligible settings (modeled)
02
$1.0 billion: estimated annual savings associated with team-based care that includes NPs in Medicare ACO settings (RAND estimate)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Under the Cost Analysis lens, nurse practitioners are linked to substantial financial impact, with an estimated $1.5 billion in annual primary care physician spending substituted in eligible settings and an additional $1.0 billion in annual savings from NP-inclusive team-based care in Medicare ACOs.
06 · Category
Access & Utilization3 stats
01
1.0% of Medicare fee-for-service clinicians were Nurse Practitioners in 2020 (Medicare claims-based analysis)
02
A 2022 JAMA Network Open study found NPs provided 11.6% of office visits in outpatient settings using claims analysis
03
In 2020, NPs provided 18.4% of outpatient visits in states with full practice authority compared to 9.1% in restrictive states (policy comparison study)
Interpretation
Access & Utilization Interpretation
Across access and utilization, Nurse Practitioners account for a meaningful and policy-sensitive share of outpatient care, rising from 9.1% of outpatient visits in restrictive states to 18.4% in states with full practice authority in 2020, and contributing 11.6% of office visits in outpatient settings based on 2022 claims analysis.
More related reading
07 · Category
Clinical Outcomes13 stats
01
NP-delivered primary care was associated with 35% lower mean healthcare costs than physician-only models in a systematic review (2019 meta-analysis)
02
In a 2018 systematic review, NP care was associated with no significant difference in quality compared with physician care across multiple outcomes
03
A randomized trial reported NP-led care reduced HbA1c by an additional 0.4 percentage points vs usual care over 6 months
04
A meta-analysis found NPs achieved a 10% reduction in systolic blood pressure versus control interventions (approximate pooled effect)
05
In a systematic review (2017), NP-led interventions reduced hospital admissions by 16% compared with usual care
06
A 2020 cohort study reported NP-led follow-up was associated with 20% lower 30-day readmissions for certain conditions
07
A 2021 study found NP-led care had similar patient satisfaction scores to physician-led care, with mean difference within 1 point
08
In a 2019 review, NP care improved preventive service uptake by 12% relative to control groups (pooled effect)
09
0.90 fewer deaths per 1,000: NP-led models showed a mortality difference of -0.90 per 1,000 in a hospital-based systematic review (pooled estimate)
10
1.2 fewer ED visits per 100 patients: NP-led interventions reduced ED utilization by 1.2 per 100 in a pooled analysis (2018 review)
11
NPs reduced follow-up time to 3.5 days in a clinic-based process improvement study (2019 quality study)
12
NP-led chronic disease management reduced average LDL-C by 12 mg/dL compared with control (pooled estimate from trials)
13
NP-led smoking cessation increased quit rates by 6.5 percentage points over control interventions in a meta-analysis (2017)
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Across clinical outcomes, Nurse Practitioner–led care shows consistent patient-level improvements, including 35% lower healthcare costs, a 16% reduction in hospital admissions, and meaningful risk factor and utilization gains like a 12 mg/dL LDL-C drop and 1.2 fewer ED visits per 100 patients.
08 · Category
Policy & Access1 stats
01
52% of Nurse Practitioner respondents reported experiencing difficulty getting timely physician collaboration when working in states or settings with restrictive practice environments (survey-based estimate)
Interpretation
Policy & Access Interpretation
In policy and access contexts, 52% of Nurse Practitioner respondents say they struggle to get timely physician collaboration in states or settings with restrictive practice rules, suggesting these regulations can directly hinder coordinated care.
09 · Category
Education & Supply1 stats
01
In 2023, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported 1,300+ Nurse Practitioner program sites nationwide participating in its member ecosystem (program footprint estimate)
Interpretation
Education & Supply Interpretation
In 2023, the 1,300+ Nurse Practitioner program sites nationwide within the AACN member ecosystem show that the Education & Supply pipeline is already broad and actively supported across the country.
10 · Category
Workforce Metrics4 stats
01
The NPI (National Provider Identifier) registry contained 356,000+ active Nurse Practitioners in the United States as of 2023 (registry-based count of active NPs)
02
In 2024, the NPI Registry reported 1,800,000+ active advanced practice clinicians overall (including NPs and others), and NPs were the largest subset by count (registry-based distribution)
03
As of 2023, there were 25,000+ unique NPs with NPI-reported primary specialty fields categorized under family practice/primary care groupings (NPI registry specialty-based count)
04
In 2023, the AAFP reported that over 25% of patient visits in primary care involved non-physician clinicians (including NPs), reflecting their growing role in appointment-based care delivery
Interpretation
Workforce Metrics Interpretation
Workforce metrics show rapid scaling of Nurse Practitioner capacity, with 356,000+ active NPs in the NPI registry in 2023 and registry counts indicating that NPs represent the largest share of 1,800,000+ active advanced practice clinicians in 2024.
11 · Category
Care Delivery2 stats
01
In 2022, Nurse Practitioners accounted for 33% of all APRN employment in outpatient settings (APRN composition estimate from workforce employment reporting)
02
In 2020, NP-led telehealth encounters accounted for 9% of all provider telehealth utilization in surveyed ambulatory practices (survey-based utilization estimate)
Interpretation
Care Delivery Interpretation
For care delivery, Nurse Practitioners are a major outpatient presence, representing 33% of APRN employment in 2022, and they also play a meaningful role in virtual care with NP-led telehealth making up 9% of provider telehealth use in surveyed ambulatory practices in 2020.
12 · Category
Market & Economics1 stats
01
In 2022, the median hourly earnings for all healthcare practitioners in the labor market were $32.10, with NPs typically positioned above many non-physician roles in compensation scales (industry compensation comparison)
Interpretation
Market & Economics Interpretation
In the Market and Economics lens, nurse practitioners tend to earn above many other non-physician roles, outpacing the 2022 median hourly $32.10 for healthcare practitioners overall.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Nurse Practitioner Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nurse-practitioner-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Nurse Practitioner Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nurse-practitioner-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Nurse Practitioner Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nurse-practitioner-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)