A survey by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) reveals that there are more than 100,000 architects in the United States. Because architects are often registered in more than one jurisdiction and because not all architects have NCARB records, NCARB is not able to determine the exact number of architects. 

This year’s data represent the third iteration of NCARB’s survey of registered architects—a project first undertaken in 1999. The Council’s Quality Assurance division gathered statistics from the 55 Member Boards comprising NCARB. Results indicate that a total of 101,179 architects are living in the 55 reporting jurisdictions, which include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The survey also reveals a total of 109,757 reciprocal (out-of-state) registrants and 210,936 total registrations in the United States. This means, on average, an architect is registered in two jurisdictions. California has the highest number of resident architects (16,397) and the highest number of total registrations (21,050). Survey data are listed below. For more information about the 2004 Survey of Registered Architects, contact NCARB at 202/783-6500.