Architects, except landscape and naval salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,300 | $29.95 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $99,280 | $47.73 |
| Mean (average) | $106,260 | $51.09 |
| 90th percentile | $161,420 | $77.61 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Architects, except landscape and naval pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 53 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $95,990 | $62,980 | $174,870 | 990 | 0.68 |
| Alaska | $108,730 | $60,980 | $143,340 | 210 | 0.93 |
| Arizona | $102,000 | $68,260 | $138,170 | 1,550 | 0.69 |
| Arkansas | $78,190 | $59,230 | $117,630 | 720 | 0.81 |
| California | $108,540 | $75,640 | $171,160 | 13,270 | 1.06 |
| Colorado | $102,400 | $67,990 | $170,040 | 3,290 | 1.67 |
| Connecticut | $103,540 | $75,440 | $152,020 | 1,200 | 1.03 |
| Delaware | $97,030 | $76,780 | $146,490 | 120 | 0.37 |
| District of Columbia | $102,040 | $75,900 | $163,440 | 1,700 | 3.52 |
| Florida | $96,240 | $59,990 | $138,230 | 5,580 | 0.82 |
| Georgia | $100,420 | $65,820 | $184,870 | 2,440 | 0.73 |
| Guam | $69,990 | $48,610 | $115,920 | 40 | 0.91 |
| Hawaii | $102,340 | $61,080 | $128,680 | 600 | 1.39 |
| Idaho | $93,710 | $51,790 | $152,460 | 850 | 1.44 |
| Illinois | $81,780 | $59,890 | $130,670 | 5,130 | 1.22 |
| Indiana | $96,060 | $50,790 | $221,430 | 1,430 | 0.65 |
| Iowa | $96,810 | $60,760 | $153,330 | 650 | 0.6 |
| Kansas | $85,490 | $61,100 | $131,600 | 840 | 0.85 |
| Kentucky | $97,680 | $60,980 | $130,490 | 630 | 0.46 |
| Louisiana | $79,580 | $51,720 | $154,590 | 1,200 | 0.9 |
| Maine | $78,600 | $51,920 | $123,790 | 500 | 1.13 |
| Maryland | $114,550 | $68,320 | $182,370 | 1,800 | 0.95 |
| Massachusetts | $117,330 | $82,920 | $163,060 | 4,590 | 1.84 |
| Michigan | $88,430 | $59,850 | $135,520 | 2,630 | 0.87 |
| Minnesota | $99,940 | $59,500 | $138,690 | 2,340 | 1.16 |
| Mississippi | $80,870 | $53,860 | $163,970 | 330 | 0.41 |
| Missouri | $98,490 | $60,190 | $153,860 | 2,150 | 1.07 |
| Montana | $97,290 | $61,500 | $139,640 | 550 | 1.57 |
| Nebraska | $91,530 | $48,790 | $167,680 | 620 | 0.87 |
| Nevada | $101,570 | $64,590 | $161,080 | 530 | 0.5 |
| New Hampshire | $101,100 | $63,200 | $133,970 | 250 | 0.53 |
| New Jersey | $99,800 | $72,870 | $207,650 | 2,390 | 0.81 |
| New Mexico | $77,720 | $47,840 | $120,090 | 600 | 1.01 |
| New York | $99,280 | $63,920 | $165,660 | 10,360 | 1.56 |
| North Carolina | $95,700 | $64,730 | $164,270 | 2,980 | 0.88 |
| North Dakota | $97,110 | $75,000 | $137,140 | 290 | 0.99 |
| Ohio | $94,960 | $59,550 | $163,590 | 3,480 | 0.91 |
| Oklahoma | $100,350 | $55,040 | $165,790 | 910 | 0.77 |
| Oregon | $98,800 | $68,820 | $129,880 | 2,050 | 1.52 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,030 | $61,690 | $149,950 | 3,760 | 0.9 |
| Puerto Rico | $60,120 | $39,390 | $123,640 | 790 | 1.22 |
| Rhode Island | $105,160 | $65,270 | $135,170 | 550 | 1.6 |
| South Carolina | $101,550 | $62,010 | $162,240 | 1,030 | 0.65 |
| South Dakota | $102,500 | $61,350 | $162,160 | 180 | 0.57 |
| Tennessee | $94,030 | $62,930 | $146,290 | 2,570 | 1.14 |
| Texas | $94,490 | $60,730 | $142,130 | 7,820 | 0.81 |
| Utah | $95,590 | $53,250 | $155,980 | 1,520 | 1.28 |
| Vermont | $82,400 | $56,990 | $121,530 | 320 | 1.52 |
| Virginia | $97,680 | $65,910 | $164,190 | 2,130 | 0.75 |
| Washington | $100,190 | $70,020 | $130,380 | 3,720 | 1.52 |
| West Virginia | $96,470 | $66,240 | $137,190 | 80 | 0.16 |
| Wisconsin | $98,510 | $66,710 | $143,330 | 1,230 | 0.61 |
| Wyoming | $120,580 | $74,890 | $179,070 | 130 | 0.65 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for architects, except landscape and naval
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 6,900. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 14%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for architects, except landscape and naval
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Architecture CIP 04.0201
- Architectural Design CIP 04.0202
- Environmental Design/Architecture CIP 04.0401
- Architectural History and Criticism, General CIP 04.0801
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.
- Plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, factories, or other structural properties in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations.
- Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.
- Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
- Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.
- Conduct periodic on-site observations of construction work to monitor compliance with plans.
- Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
- Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
Technology skills
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (in demand)
- Adobe Illustrator (in demand)
- Adobe InDesign (in demand)
- Adobe Photoshop (in demand)
- Autodesk AutoCAD (in demand)
- Autodesk Revit (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Trimble SketchUp Pro (in demand)
- Chaos Enscape (in demand)
- McNeel Rhinoceros 3D (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology)
- Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Operations Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation.
Common job titles: Architect, Architectural Designer, Design Architect, Planner, Project Architect, Specifications Writer.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do architects, except landscape and naval make?
The national median annual wage for architects, except landscape and naval was $99,280 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $62,300 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $161,420. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do architects, except landscape and naval need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and internship/residency on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is architects, except landscape and naval a growing career?
BLS projects employment of architects, except landscape and naval to change +4.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 6,900 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay architects, except landscape and naval the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Wyoming ($120,580), Massachusetts ($117,330), Maryland ($114,550). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.