Looking at the concentration of nurse practitioners in a given state probably isn’t the most important stat when it comes to the profession. But, it is a point of interest. The job market for nurse practitioners, for example, can be largely dependent on the number of NPs in the area. Salaries, in turn, rise and fall with demand. These are interesting trends to follow.
When we look at the number of nurse practitioners in a given state, its most helpful to look at the concentration of NPs rather than the actual number. Large, populated states like California and Texas, to name a few, are bound to have a higher number of NPs than their smaller counterparts. Analyzing the concentration, however, gives a more accurate picture of how heavily utilized nurse practitioners are in a given area compared to average.
Here’s a peek at the five states with the highest concentration of nurse practitioners.
There are a number of reasons a state may have a higher or lower concentration of nurse practitioners. Scope of practice laws may make NPs more or less useful to medical practices (or, do they really matter?). The local healthcare culture may be more or less physician or physician assistant friendly in some locations compared with others. Or, nurse practitioners may be more readily available in certain locations. Whatever the reason, the concentration of NPs in your area gives a clue about the job market you’ll encounter. Hint: The job market in the South is pretty saturated!
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