There are 109,748 architects in the United States, according to the 2016 Survey of Architectural Registration Boards. While this represents a drop from the previous year (roughly 0.4 percent), the survey also reveals that architects increasingly hold licenses in multiple states. In fact, U.S. architects now have 126,554 reciprocal (out-of-state) licenses, a 3 percent increase from 2015.
Conducted annually by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) , the survey provides exclusive insight into the number of U.S. architects and reciprocal licenses.
The pool of emerging professionals working toward licensure also held steady in 2016, with more than 41,400 candidates taking the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and/or reporting Architectural Experience Program s (AXP) hours.
“Our data confirms that the economy is generating demand for initial and reciprocal licensees,” says NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong. “We’re also seeing growth in the number of architects who hold an NCARB Certificate, which facilitates reciprocal licensure across the U.S. and in several countries.”
Additional data on the path to licensure will be available in July’s 2017 edition of “NCARB by the Numbers”.
NCARB collects data on resident and reciprocal licenses from its 54 Member Boards, which include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The survey reflects registration data from January to December 2016.