NP demand is climbing fast nationwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks nurse practitioner among the fastest-growing occupations, projecting 40% growth from 2024 to 2034. The state and regional tables below draw on Projections Central and state labor agency projections for 2018-2028 (Florida's run 2020-2028).
Top 10 States for NP Job Growth (2018-2028)
By projected number of new jobs:
| State | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| New York | 21,870 |
| California | 19,700 |
| Texas | 16,430 |
| Florida | 15,200 |
| Illinois | 10,700 |
| Tennessee | 10,060 |
| Ohio | 9,620 |
| Georgia | 8,850 |
| Massachusetts | 8,550 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,220 |
By projected percentage change:
| State | % Change |
|---|
| Georgia | 41.4 |
| New York | 41.3 |
| Florida | 36.9 |
| Tennessee | 34.7 |
| Texas | 31.9 |
| Illinois | 31.1 |
| California | 30.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 26.5 |
| Ohio | 24.6 |
| Massachusetts | 16.2 |
New York
Projections Central reports 21,870 NP jobs in New York by 2028, averaging 1,640 new positions a year. The state Department of Labor breaks it down by region.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| New York City | 2,510 |
| Long Island | 880 |
| Hudson Valley | 660 |
| Finger Lakes | 480 |
| Western New York | 440 |
| Capital Region | 280 |
| Central New York | 270 |
| Southern Tier | 140 |
| Mohawk Valley | 130 |
| North Country | 100 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Hudson Valley | 44.3% |
| Central New York | 42.2% |
| Western New York | 41.5% |
| New York City | 38.7% |
| North Country | 38.5% |
| Finger Lakes | 37.5% |
| Capital Region | 35.4% |
| Long Island | 34.9% |
| Mohawk Valley | 32.5% |
| Southern Tier | 24.1% |
California
Projections Central points to 19,700 NP jobs by 2028 and 1,390 average annual openings. Regional data comes from the California Employment Development Department.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale | 1,040 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad | 920 |
| Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario | 460 |
| Oakland, Hayward, Berkeley | 450 |
| Fresno | 360 |
| Sacramento, Roseville, Arden-Arcade | 290 |
| San Francisco, Redwood City, South San Francisco | 290 |
| San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara | 220 |
| Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine | 200 |
| Santa Rosa | 100 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| San Diego, Carlsbad | 68.7% |
| Fresno | 64.3% |
| Santa Rosa | 47.6% |
| Oakland, Hayward, Berkeley | 45% |
| Sacramento, Roseville, Arden-Arcade | 34.5% |
| Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale | 31.6% |
| Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario | 29.5% |
| San Francisco, Redwood City, South San Francisco | 26.1% |
| San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara | 24.4% |
| Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine | 21.7% |
Texas
Texas should add an average of 1,170 NP jobs a year for a total of 16,430 by 2028, per Projections Central. Regional figures come from Texas Labor Market Information.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Gulf Coast | 1,065 |
| Alamo | 447 |
| Capital Area | 199 |
| East Texas | 46 |
| North Texas | 43 |
| South Texas | 41 |
| Heart of Texas | 39 |
| West Central | 27 |
| Cameron County | 25 |
| Golden Crescent | 19 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| South Texas | 42.7% |
| Gulf Coast | 40.9% |
| Capital Area | 37.4% |
| Golden Crescent | 33.9% |
| Alamo | 32.4% |
| Cameron County | 30.1% |
| North Texas | 26.7% |
| Heart of Texas | 25.3% |
| West Central | 21.4% |
| East Texas | 14.3% |
Florida
Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity projects 15,200 NP jobs by 2028 (2020-2028), an average of 1,110 new openings a year.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties | 671 |
| Broward County | 552 |
| Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and Saint Johns Counties | 434 |
| Hillsborough County | 431 |
| Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter Counties | 338 |
| Pinellas County | 331 |
| Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties | 251 |
| Palm Beach County | 235 |
| Brevard County | 134 |
| Flagler and Volusia Counties | 115 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties | 57.6% |
| Broward County | 51.3% |
| Hillsborough County | 49.9% |
| Pinellas County | 49.1% |
| Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties | 45% |
| Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter Counties | 28.9% |
| Palm Beach County | 28% |
| Brevard County | 27.8% |
| Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and Saint Johns Counties | 27.6% |
| Flagler and Volusia Counties | 26.1% |
Illinois
Illinois projects an average of 760 new NP jobs a year for a total of 10,700 by 2028, per Projections Central. Regional data comes from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Northeast | 1,731 |
| Central | 142 |
| North Central | 126 |
| Northern Stateline | 116 |
| East Central | 108 |
| Southwestern | 99 |
| Southern | 92 |
| Northwest | 57 |
| Southeastern | 41 |
| West Central | 38 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Northern Stateline | 38.8% |
| Southern | 36.1% |
| East Central | 34.2% |
| Northeast | 30.9% |
| Central | 30.3% |
| Southwestern | 30% |
| Southeastern | 29.5% |
| West Central | 29.2% |
| North Central | 28.4% |
| Northwest | 23.6% |
Tennessee
Tennessee should add 730 NP openings a year for a total of 10,060 by 2028, per Projections Central. The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports nine regions.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Northern Middle Tennessee | 729 |
| East Tennessee | 625 |
| Southeast Tennessee | 326 |
| Greater Memphis | 242 |
| Northwest Tennessee | 231 |
| Northeast Tennessee | 210 |
| Southern Middle Tennessee | 162 |
| Upper Cumberland | 135 |
| Southwest Tennessee | 67 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Northwest Tennessee | 108.9% |
| East Tennessee | 45.6% |
| Upper Cumberland | 39.9% |
| Southern Middle Tennessee | 37.2% |
| Northern Middle Tennessee | 37% |
| Southeast Tennessee | 34.1% |
| Northeast Tennessee | 34% |
| Southwest Tennessee | 27.2% |
| Greater Memphis | 20.2% |
Ohio
Ohio projects 9,620 new NP positions by 2028, averaging 650 a year across seven metro areas, per Projections Central.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Columbus | 398 |
| Cincinnati | 356 |
| Dayton | 156 |
| Akron | 125 |
| Toledo | 91 |
| Youngstown, Warren, Boardman | 59 |
| Canton, Massillon | 37 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Columbus | 30.6% |
| Toledo | 26.7% |
| Youngstown, Warren, Boardman | 24.9% |
| Cincinnati | 24.9% |
| Dayton | 23.3% |
| Akron | 21.6% |
| Canton, Massillon | 18.4% |
Georgia
Georgia should add 660 NP positions a year for a total of 8,850 by 2028, per Projections Central. Regional data comes from the Georgia Department of Labor.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Atlanta | 495 |
| Cobb County | 409 |
| Fulton County | 371 |
| Georgia Mountains | 203 |
| DeKalb County | 198 |
| Coastal Georgia | 147 |
| Northeast Georgia | 138 |
| West Central Georgia | 122 |
| Northwest Georgia | 99 |
| Southern Georgia | 88 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Cobb County | 49% |
| Atlanta | 48.9% |
| Georgia Mountains | 48.9% |
| Northeast Georgia | 48.8% |
| DeKalb County | 44.2% |
| West Central Georgia | 43.3% |
| Coastal Georgia | 43.1% |
| Fulton County | 41.8% |
| Northwest Georgia | 38.8% |
| Southern Georgia | 30.7% |
Massachusetts
Massachusetts projects 540 new NP positions a year for a total of 8,550 by 2028, per the state Department of Unemployment Assistance. Percentage-change data is not reported.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Boston | 1,280 |
| Metro South/West | 790 |
| Central Massachusetts | 660 |
| Metro North | 570 |
| South Shore | 410 |
| North Shore | 290 |
| Franklin/Hampshire | 250 |
| Lower Merrimack Valley | 230 |
| Greater Lowell | 190 |
| Cape and Islands | 160 |
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania projects an average of 570 new NP positions for a total of 8,220 by 2028, per Projections Central. Regional data comes from the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.
| Region | Number of Jobs |
|---|
| Philadelphia County | 220 |
| Three Rivers | 220 |
| Montgomery County | 150 |
| South Central | 150 |
| Lehigh Valley | 120 |
| Luzerne, Schuylkill | 90 |
| Bucks County | 80 |
| Berks County | 70 |
| Central | 60 |
| Delaware County | 60 |
| Region | % Change |
|---|
| Luzerne, Schuylkill | 34.6% |
| Lehigh Valley | 30.8% |
| Montgomery County | 29.4% |
| South Central | 29.4% |
| Berks County | 29.2% |
| Central | 27.3% |
| Bucks County | 25.8% |
| Three Rivers | 24.7% |
| Delaware County | 23.1% |
| Philadelphia County | 22.7% |
FAQs: Nurse Practitioner Demand
Which state has the highest NP demand? New York, with an average of 1,640 annual openings projected through 2028 and 21,870 positions by 2028.
What drives the demand? An aging population with more chronic disease, retirement turnover, strain on nursing education and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a nationwide primary care physician shortage.
How fast is the NP workforce growing? A 2020 study found the NP population more than doubled between 2010 and 2017, growing 133% in full-practice-authority states.
Why are NPs in such demand? They earn competitive pay, work with high autonomy where they have full practice authority, and perform many of the same duties as physicians without the longer training and residency, which positions them as a key answer to the primary care shortage.