The pool of candidates working toward architecture licensure is more diverse than ever before, and 36 percent of newly licensed architects are women.
In 2016, there were 109,748 architects in the United States — a minimal drop from the previous year.
The numbers were contained in the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) annual data report, NCARB by the Numbers.
The 2017 edition provides exclusive insight into the number of U.S. architects, the value of graduating from an accredited program, the time it takes to earn a license, and diversity in the profession.
Over 8,100 licensure candidates completed the Architectural Experience Program in 2016 — an all-time high.
The Architectural Experience Program (AXP) is designed to guide professionals through the early stages of their career when licensure candidates are required to document 3,740 hours of experience in six simplified areas that cover all phases of architectural practice, rather than 17 experience areas.
The new report also found that, on average candidates take 4.2 years to complete the AXP which includes experience areas of Practice Management, Project Management, Programming & Analysis, Project Planning & Design, Project Development & Documentation, and Construction & Evaluation.
The report also found that around 4,300 candidates completed the Architect Registration Examination last 2016.
On average, becoming an architect takes 12.5 years — from the time a student enrolls in school to the moment they receive a license. This marks the eighth year in a row the timeline to licensure has decreased.
“Every year, the profession turns to NCARB by the Numbers for comprehensive and insightful data on the path to licensure,” said NCARB President Gregory L. Erny, FAIA, NCARB.
“As our data analytic capabilities expand, we are now able to shine a light on intriguing, and sometimes controversial, topics—including improving diversity among practitioners and shortening the timeline to licensure.”
The findings are pulled from the non-profit’s database of over 111,000 NCARB-certified architects and licensure candidates, making NCARB by the Numbers the most comprehensive source for licensure statistics.