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States With the Highest Demand for Nurse Practitioners

Maura Deering, J.D.
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Updated November 6, 2023
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If you're curious about the best states for nurse practitioners, explore this guide and find out where nurse practitioner demand is high.
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If you’re considering a career as a nurse practitioner (NP), you may wonder about the current demand. The opportunities for NPs continue to increase rapidly across the United States. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks NPs among the top five fastest-growing occupations with the highest projected growth at 52% between 2020-2030.

Read on to learn about the top 10 best states for nurse practitioners.

Top 10 States for NP Job Growth

The tables in this section list the top 10 states for NP job growth from 2018-2028 as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Projections Central. The first table provides the number of projected new jobs in each state from 2018-2028, and the second table lists the projected percentage of job growth for those states.

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Top 10 States for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)*
State*Number of Jobs
1. New York21,870
2. California19,700
3. Texas16,430
4. Florida15,200
5. Illinois10,700
6. Tennessee10,060
7. Ohio9,620
8. Georgia8,850
9. Massachusetts8,550
10. Pennsylvania8,220
Top 10 States for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)*
State*% Change
1. Georgia41.4
2. New York41.3
3. Florida36.9
4. Tennessee34.7
5. Texas31.9
6. Illinois31.1
7. California30.5
8. Pennsylvania26.5
9. Ohio24.6
10. Massachusetts16.2

New York

Projections Central reports a projected 21,870 NP jobs in New York by 2028, with an average of 1,640 new positions added annually from 2018-2028. New York’s Department of Labor breaks down the numbers within the top 10 regions.

Top 10 Regions in New York for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
New York City2,510
Long Island880
Hudson Valley660
Finger Lakes480
Western New York440
Capital Region280
Central New York270
Southern Tier140
Mohawk Valley130
North Country100
Top 10 Regions in New York for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Hudson Valley44.3%
Central New York42.2%
Western New York41.5%
New York City38.7%
North Country38.5%
Finger Lakes37.5%
Capital Region35.4%
Long Island34.9%
Mohawk Valley32.5%
Southern Tier24.1%

California

Projections Central’s data for California points to 19,700 NP jobs by 2028 and 1,390 average annual openings from 2018-2028. The top 10 regional data is pulled from the California Employment Development Department.

Top 10 Regions in California for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Los Angeles — Long Beach — Glendale1,040
San Diego-Carlsbad920
Riverside — San Bernardino — Ontario460
Oakland — Hayward — Berkeley450
Fresno360
Sacramento — Roseville — Arden-Arcade290
San Francisco — Redwood City — South San Francisco290
San Jose — Sunnyvale — Santa Clara220
Anaheim — Santa Ana — Irvine200
Santa Rosa100
Top 10 Regions in California for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
San Diego — Carlsbad68.7%
Fresno64.3%
Santa Rosa47.6%
Oakland — Hayward — Berkeley45%
Sacramento — Roseville — Arden-Arcade34.5%
Los Angeles — Long Beach — Glendale31.6%
Riverside — San Bernardino — Ontario29.5%
San Francisco — Redwood City — South San Francisco26.1%
San Jose — Sunnyvale — Santa Clara24.4%
Anaheim — Santa Ana — Irvine21.7%

Texas

According to Projections Central, Texas should see an annual average job increase of 1,170 for a total of 16,430 NP jobs by 2028. These include the Texas Labor Market Information’s regional projected openings for 2018-2028.

Top 10 Regions in Texas for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Gulf Coast1,065
Alamo447
Capital Area199
East Texas46
North Texas43
South Texas41
Heart of Texas39
West Central27
Cameron County25
Golden Crescent19
Top 10 Regions in Texas for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
South Texas42.7%
Gulf Coast40.9%
Capital Area37.4%
Golden Crescent33.9%
Alamo32.4%
Cameron County30.1%
North Texas26.7%
Heart of Texas25.3%
West Central21.4%
East Texas14.3%

Florida

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity figures for 2020-2028 contribute to the 15,200 total NP jobs projected by 2028, broken down to an average annual increase of 1,110 openings.

Top 10 Regions in Florida for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2020-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties671
Broward County552
Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and Saint Johns Counties434
Hillsborough County431
Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter Counties338
Pinellas County331
Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties251
Palm Beach County235
Brevard County134
Flagler and Volusia Counties115
Top 10 Regions in Florida for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2020-2028)
Region% Change
Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties57.6%
Broward County51.3%
Hillsborough County49.9%
Pinellas County49.1%
Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties45%
Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter Counties28.9%
Palm Beach County28%
Brevard County27.8%
Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and Saint Johns Counties27.6%
Flagler and Volusia Counties26.1%

Illinois

Projections Central offers projections of 760 average new Illinois NP positions per year between 2018 and 2028, for a total of 10,700 jobs by 2028. Regional projections are provided by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Top 10 Regions in Illinois for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Northeast1,731
Central142
North Central126
Northern Stateline116
East Central108
Southwestern99
Southern92
Northwest57
Southeastern41
West Central38
Top 10 Regions in Illinois for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Northern Stateline38.8%
Southern36.1%
East Central34.2%
Northeast30.9%
Central30.3%
Southwestern30%
Southeastern29.5%
West Central29.2%
North Central28.4%
Northwest23.6%

Tennessee

According to Projections Central, Tennessee NPs should see an increase of 730 job openings per year from 2018-2028. By 2028, the total number of NP jobs is projected to hit 10,060.

Tennessee’s Department of Labor & Workforce Development reports NP data in nine regional areas for 2018-2028.

Top 9 Regions in Tennessee for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Northern Middle Tennessee729
East Tennessee625
Southeast Tennessee326
Greater Memphis242
Northwest Tennessee231
Northeast Tennessee210
Southern Middle Tennessee162
Upper Cumberland135
Southwest Tennessee67
Top 9 Regions in Tennessee for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Northwest Tennessee108.9%
East Tennessee45.6%
Upper Cumberland39.9%
Southern Middle Tennessee37.2%
Northern Middle Tennessee37%
Southeast Tennessee34.1%
Northeast Tennessee34%
Southwest Tennessee27.2%
Greater Memphis20.2%

Ohio

Ohio breaks down its 2018-2028 labor projections into seven metropolitan statistical areas. NPs can look forward to a total of 9,620 new positions by 2028, with an average annual increase of 650 jobs per year from 2018-2028, as reported by Projections Central.

Top 7 Regions in Ohio for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Columbus398
Cincinnati356
Dayton156
Akron125
Toledo91
Youngstown — Warren — Boardman59
Canton — Massillon37
Top 7 Regions in Ohio for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Columbus30.6%
Toledo26.7%
Youngstown — Warren — Boardman24.9%
Cincinnati24.9%
Dayton23.3%
Akron21.6%
Canton — Massillon18.4%

Georgia

From 2018-2028, Projections Central expects to see an increase of 660 average annual positions for a total of 8,850 NP openings. The Georgia Department of Labor lists top 10 regional data for the same time period.

Top 10 Regions in Georgia for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Atlanta495
Cobb County409
Fulton County371
Georgia Mountains203
DeKalb County198
Coastal Georgia147
Northeast Georgia138
West Central Georgia122
Northwest Georgia99
Southern Georgia88
Top 10 Regions in Georgia for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Cobb County49%
Atlanta48.9%
Georgia Mountains48.9%
Northeast Georgia48.8%
DeKalb County44.2%
West Central Georgia43.3%
Coastal Georgia43.1%
Fulton County41.8%
Northwest Georgia38.8%
Southern Georgia30.7%

Massachusetts

The Department of Unemployment Assistance in Massachusetts provides regional projections from 2018-2028 for the number of new NP positions, but not percentages of change. NPs should see an increase of 540 positions each year during that time frame, and a total of 8,550 jobs by 2028.

Top 10 Regions in Massachusetts for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Boston1,280
Metro South/West790
Central Massachusetts660
Metro North570
South Shore410
North Shore290
Franklin/Hampshire250
Lower Merrimack Valley230
Cape and Islands160
Greater Lowell190

Pennsylvania

The Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry reports regional NP job projections data for 2018-2028. Projections Central’s figures point to an average of 570 new positions during that time, for a total number of NP jobs of 8,220 by 2028.

Top 10 Regions in Pennsylvania for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
RegionNumber of Jobs
Philadelphia County220
Three Rivers220
Montgomery County150
South Central150
Lehigh Valley120
Luzerne — Schuylkill90
Bucks County80
Berks County70
Central60
Delaware County60
Top 10 Regions in Pennsylvania for Nurse Practitioner Job Growth (2018-2028)
Region% Change
Berks County29.2%
Bucks County25.8%
Central27.3%
Delaware County23.1%
Lehigh Valley30.8%
Luzerne — Schuylkill34.6%
Montgomery County29.4%
Philadelphia County22.7%
South Central29.4%
Three Rivers24.7%

FAQs: Nurse Practitioner Demand


Which state has the highest demand for nurse practitioners?

Nurse practitioner demand is the highest in New York, with an average of 1,640 annual openings projected from 2018-2028. This translates into a projected 21,870 NP positions by 2028.

Why are nurse practitioners in such high demand?

A number of factors contribute to the high demand for NPs, including an aging U.S. population experiencing chronic disease, turnover due to retirement, challenges in nursing education and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an overarching nationwide primary care physician shortage.

Is there a shortage of nurse practitioners?

While a nationwide registered nurse shortage continues, a 2020 study found that the NP population grew by more than 100% between 2010 and 2017. In states where NPs enjoy full-practice authority, the NP growth rate is even higher at 133%.

Is being a nurse practitioner a good career?

Highly trained NPs earn competitive salaries that far exceed those of other nurses. They also benefit from a higher level of autonomy in their patient care, especially in states where they have full-practice authority. NPs perform many of the same duties as physicians, without the extended educational and residency requirements, and are seen as the best solution to the country’s primary care physician shortage.

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