Architectural and engineering managers salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $120,810 | $58.08 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $171,270 | $82.34 |
| Mean (average) | $181,540 | $87.28 |
| 90th percentile | $262,760 | $126.33 |
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
Architectural and engineering managers 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 | $162,350 | $106,100 | $236,230 | 3,790 | 1.27 |
| Alaska | $164,260 | $113,790 | $236,490 | 900 | 1.95 |
| Arizona | $167,480 | $121,500 | $249,990 | 4,680 | 1.02 |
| Arkansas | $140,600 | $98,520 | $209,320 | 1,220 | 0.66 |
| California | $210,280 | $137,900 | $296,130 | 29,630 | 1.15 |
| Colorado | $183,810 | $135,380 | $272,950 | 4,900 | 1.2 |
| Connecticut | $175,490 | $122,200 | $245,970 | 4,970 | 2.07 |
| Delaware | $181,190 | $131,490 | $222,050 | 560 | 0.81 |
| District of Columbia | $185,220 | $138,470 | $225,080 | 1,290 | 1.3 |
| Florida | $170,740 | $116,900 | $251,590 | 8,710 | 0.62 |
| Georgia | $161,470 | $107,170 | $221,750 | 3,590 | 0.52 |
| Guam | $100,740 | $82,210 | $180,140 | 60 | 0.62 |
| Hawaii | $151,670 | $99,920 | $216,650 | 1,220 | 1.37 |
| Idaho | $162,970 | $103,130 | $219,970 | 850 | 0.7 |
| Illinois | $163,610 | $112,090 | $231,880 | 8,900 | 1.03 |
| Indiana | $155,810 | $102,030 | $214,470 | 4,610 | 1.02 |
| Iowa | $147,320 | $103,470 | $210,220 | 1,520 | 0.69 |
| Kansas | $160,150 | $113,990 | $235,170 | 2,010 | 0.99 |
| Kentucky | $147,680 | $114,220 | $201,730 | 1,800 | 0.63 |
| Louisiana | $162,850 | $119,600 | $218,970 | 1,840 | 0.67 |
| Maine | $145,720 | $111,490 | $208,140 | 820 | 0.9 |
| Maryland | $172,670 | $114,080 | $231,460 | 5,240 | 1.34 |
| Massachusetts | $201,430 | $137,750 | $286,410 | 7,690 | 1.49 |
| Michigan | $166,930 | $117,490 | $218,050 | 14,820 | 2.38 |
| Minnesota | $172,130 | $128,430 | $223,540 | 4,580 | 1.1 |
| Mississippi | $142,790 | $99,210 | $205,560 | 860 | 0.52 |
| Missouri | $157,800 | $105,170 | $213,050 | 2,250 | 0.54 |
| Montana | $146,030 | $105,270 | $204,300 | 560 | 0.78 |
| Nebraska | $141,020 | $103,070 | $222,240 | 1,510 | 1.04 |
| Nevada | $161,560 | $108,300 | $228,590 | 780 | 0.36 |
| New Hampshire | $172,240 | $120,350 | $266,950 | 2,160 | 2.24 |
| New Jersey | $180,640 | $129,690 | $275,950 | 4,540 | 0.75 |
| New Mexico | $215,120 | $163,530 | $268,190 | 2,270 | 1.84 |
| New York | $175,710 | $128,500 | $274,870 | 8,250 | 0.6 |
| North Carolina | $167,840 | $121,900 | $231,350 | 6,960 | 0.99 |
| North Dakota | $147,400 | $112,130 | $215,100 | 270 | 0.44 |
| Ohio | $166,870 | $117,640 | $220,990 | 9,690 | 1.23 |
| Oklahoma | $157,330 | $108,990 | $234,620 | 2,070 | 0.85 |
| Oregon | $177,190 | $129,470 | $239,080 | ||
| Pennsylvania | $164,690 | $118,170 | $221,940 | 9,640 | 1.12 |
| Puerto Rico | $130,560 | $87,210 | $189,070 | 770 | 0.58 |
| Rhode Island | $175,910 | $124,410 | $257,780 | 370 | 0.53 |
| South Carolina | $169,040 | $115,280 | $226,970 | 3,200 | 0.98 |
| South Dakota | $164,330 | $116,320 | $209,210 | 310 | 0.48 |
| Tennessee | $161,430 | $105,980 | $239,240 | 3,600 | 0.77 |
| Texas | $171,370 | $120,460 | $277,790 | 19,030 | 0.95 |
| Utah | $161,120 | $113,080 | $221,400 | 2,290 | 0.93 |
| Vermont | $157,710 | $110,930 | $214,980 | 350 | 0.81 |
| Virginia | $176,160 | $124,830 | $253,060 | 4,390 | 0.75 |
| Washington | $189,680 | $148,930 | $263,550 | 6,060 | 1.21 |
| West Virginia | $149,430 | $103,690 | $211,550 | 420 | 0.42 |
| Wisconsin | $142,060 | $103,720 | $207,680 | 4,550 | 1.09 |
| Wyoming | $163,560 | $116,010 | $224,990 |
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 architectural and engineering managers
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 14,900. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 0.2%.
- 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 architectural and engineering managers
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
- 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
- City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning CIP 04.0301
- Environmental Design/Architecture CIP 04.0401
- Healthcare Environment Design/Architecture CIP 04.0402
- Interior Architecture CIP 04.0501
- Landscape Architecture CIP 04.0601
- Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology CIP 04.0902
- Engineering, General CIP 14.0101
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General CIP 14.0201
- Astronautical Engineering CIP 14.0202
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other CIP 14.0299
- Agricultural Engineering CIP 14.0301
- Architectural Engineering CIP 14.0401
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering CIP 14.0501
- Ceramic Sciences and Engineering CIP 14.0601
- Chemical Engineering CIP 14.0701
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering CIP 14.0702
- Chemical Engineering, Other CIP 14.0799
- Civil Engineering, General CIP 14.0801
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering CIP 14.0802
- Structural Engineering CIP 14.0803
- Transportation and Highway Engineering CIP 14.0804
- Water Resources Engineering CIP 14.0805
- Civil Engineering, Other CIP 14.0899
- Computer Engineering, General CIP 14.0901
- Computer Hardware Engineering CIP 14.0902
- Computer Software Engineering CIP 14.0903
- Computer Engineering, Other CIP 14.0999
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering CIP 14.1001
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Manage the coordination and overall integration of technical activities in architecture or engineering projects.
- Direct, review, or approve project design changes.
- Consult or negotiate with clients to prepare project specifications.
- Prepare budgets, bids, or contracts.
- Present and explain proposals, reports, or findings to clients.
- Confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures.
- Assess project feasibility by analyzing technology, resource needs, or market demand.
- Review, recommend, or approve contracts or cost estimates.
Technology skills
- Autodesk AutoCAD (in demand)
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Amazon DynamoDB (hot technology)
- Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology)
- Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Ansible software (hot technology)
- Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Apache Hive (hot technology)
- Apache Kafka (hot technology)
- Apache Maven (hot technology)
- Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Instructing.
Common job titles: Civil Engineering Manager, Electrical Engineering Manager, Engineering Director, Engineering Group Manager, Engineering Program Manager, Mechanical Engineering Manager, Process Engineering Manager, Project Engineering Manager, Project Manager.
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 architectural and engineering managers make?
The national median annual wage for architectural and engineering managers was $171,270 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $120,810 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $262,760. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do architectural and engineering managers need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with 5 years or more of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is architectural and engineering managers a growing career?
BLS projects employment of architectural and engineering managers to change +5.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 14,900 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay architectural and engineering managers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were New Mexico ($215,120), California ($210,280), Massachusetts ($201,430). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.