Every year, NCARB releases a report looking at architects' path to licensure. Paying particular attention to trends in how diverse the architecture population is becoming, how regulation of architects is changing, and any developments in licensing credentials, the report offers a benchmark for understanding where the profession may be moving. The 2015 edition of NCARB by the Numbers, reflecting on stats accrued in the previous year, is now available to download for free.

Some highlights from the report:

• There are more architects: The number of licensed architects, reported by the 54 U.S. licensing boards, increased by 2% from 2013-2014
• Architects are getting licensed earlier: In 2014, the average age that an architect became licensed fell to 33.3 – it's lowest since 2001
• Minority presence is getting stronger: 41% of aspiring architects belonged to racial and ethnic minorities in 2014, up from 22% in 2007
• More women are completing IDP: The number of female architects who completed IDP in 2014 rose 3% from the previous year.

The report also provides a way for different licensing bodies to track and compare progress across all 54 US jurisdictions. However, some graphics can be a bit frustrating if you're looking for trends both in the last year and across all past years reported. Changes in certain statistics, like the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the profession, are presented in comparison only to a single year – not holistically over the time that NCARB has documented these numbers.

Read NCARB's complete press release here.

For more recent news from NCARB:

• NCARB switches up the way it certifies foreign architects
• NCARB will phase out the "intern" title
• Inching closer to licensure at graduation, as schools show NCARB they're interested
• NCARB announces reciprocity program across the US, Canada and Mexico