
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards released the 2023 edition of its NCARB By The Numbers research report—the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s annual evaluation of the state of architectural education, examinations, licensure, demographics, and more. This year’s release is based on data collected from NCARB’s membership of more than 128,000 architects and licensure candidates during the 2022 calendar year. The Council’s report includes information from members across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Below are some highlights on the state of licensure, education, experience, examination, and demographics from the 2023 report.

According to the report, there were almost 120,000 licensed architects recorded across the nation’s 55 jurisdictions in 2022. Of this counted number, about 145,000 held out-of-state licenses—a 6% increase compared to 2021, which correlates to a rising demand in services across different states from architecture professions since the COVID-19 pandemic. NCARB says the number of candidates actively on the path to licensure rose by 9% compared to last year’s report; 35,621 of these respondents have industry experience, are taking the national licensing exam, or were categorized as both.

More than 60% of new architects graduated from public universities, with a larger proportion having a single degree over the 48% who hold two degrees. During the 2021-2022 school year, more than 9,200 new students enrolled in a National Architectural Accrediting Board–backed program, which totals a 13% increase from the previous academic year. Forty-seven percent of these students were enrolled in Bachelor of Architecture programs and 53% were enrolled in a Master of Architecture or a Doctor of Architecture program.

The Architect Registration Examination 5.0, which is required in all U.S. jurisdictions, is a six-part exam taken to receive architectural licensure. More than 3,400 candidates took the ARE in 2022, with the average candidate taking 2.9 years to complete all six parts of the exam—an increase, the report says, tied to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on examination scheduling. About 36% of ARE candidates completed their exam in two years or less, which is similar to data collected in 2021. Of the ARE candidates in 2022, 69% of them took practice exams, and pass rates among people of color saw bigger gains than their white counterparts.

Ethnic and racial diversity markers increased for early-career professionals, particularly for Asian, Hispanic, and Latino candidates. Data shows that more than half of new Record holders—registered members with an NCARB-verified account of their education, exam history, and professional experience—and candidates who reported experience, identified as non-white. When it comes to gender, women made up 50% of new Record holders and 49% of respondents with experience. However, diversity numbers seemed to slow down when looking at exam completion data. Forty-four percent of candidates who completed their ARE exam identified as female and 36% identified as a person of color. Of the number of new architects in 2022, 43% were women, 10% were Hispanic or Latino, 15% were Asian, and 3% were Black or African American.
To see the complete NCARB By the Numbers report, visit ncarb.org.