A survey by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) reveals that there are almost 97,000 architects in the United States. Because architects are often registered in more than one state, NCARB is not able to use its registration records to determine the number of architects. It has long been estimated, however, that there are about 100,000 architects in the U.S. This year, in the first-ever survey of its kind, NCARB surveyed its 55 member boards to verify or disprove that estimate. Results indicate that a total of 96,966 architects are living in the 55 reporting jurisdictions, which include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.

The survey also reveals a total of 105,466 reciprocal (out-of-state) registrants and 202,432 total registrations in the United States. This means that on average, an architect is registered in 2 jursidictions. California has the highest number of resident architects (16,415) and the highest number of total registrations (20,891). Survey results are listed below. NCARB will update these numbers annually. For more information, contact NCARB at 202/783-6500.