How much do architects make?

Architect salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Architects in the US earned a median of $99,280 a year ($47.73 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $77,960 to $126,550.

Median annual pay: $99,280; Mean $106,260
Median hourly pay: $47.73; Mean $51.09
Typical range (10th–90th): $62.3K–$161K; $62,300 to $161,420
US jobs: 106,770; +4.3% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become an architect: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Wyoming

Architect pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$62,300
25th percentile$77,960
Median$99,280
75th percentile$126,550
90th percentile$161,420

Half of all architects earned more than $99,280 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $62,300; the top 10% made over $161,420. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $77,960 to $126,550.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$62,300	$29.95	$5,192
25th	$77,960	$37.48	$6,497
Median (50th)	$99,280	$47.73	$8,273
75th	$126,550	$60.84	$10,546
90th	$161,420	$77.61	$13,452
Mean (average)	$106,260	$51.09	$8,855

Architect salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for architects by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Wyoming $120,580
2. Massachusetts $117,330
3. Maryland $114,550
4. Alaska $108,730
5. California $108,540

Lowest-paying states

51. New Mexico $77,720
50. Arkansas $78,190
49. Maine $78,600
48. Louisiana $79,580
47. Mississippi $80,870

Best after cost of living: Wyoming. Its median of $120,580 is worth about $130,088 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$95,990	35	$108,069	11	$46.15	990	0.47
Alaska	$108,730	4	$106,224	13	$52.27	210	0.64
Arizona	$102,000	12	$101,314	25	$49.04	1,550	0.48
Arkansas	$78,190	50	$89,939	47	$37.59	720	0.56
California	$108,540	5	$98,031	30	$52.19	13,270	0.73
Colorado	$102,400	9	$99,367	28	$49.23	3,290	1.15
Connecticut	$103,540	7	$99,932	26	$49.78	1,200	0.71
Delaware	$97,030	29	$97,217	32	$46.65	120	0.26
District of Columbia	$102,040	11	$92,847	42	$49.06	1,700	2.42
Florida	$96,240	33	$93,063	40	$46.27	5,580	0.56
Georgia	$100,420	16	$104,286	15	$48.28	2,440	0.50
Hawaii	$102,340	10	$93,078	39	$49.20	600	0.95
Idaho	$93,710	41	$98,132	29	$45.05	850	0.99
Illinois	$81,780	46	$81,814	50	$39.32	5,130	0.84
Indiana	$96,060	34	$102,926	16	$46.19	1,430	0.45
Iowa	$96,810	31	$110,310	5	$46.54	650	0.41
Kansas	$85,490	44	$94,917	37	$41.10	840	0.58
Kentucky	$97,680	25	$108,342	9	$46.96	630	0.31
Louisiana	$79,580	48	$90,220	46	$38.26	1,200	0.62
Maine	$78,600	49	$80,989	51	$37.79	500	0.78
Maryland	$114,550	3	$109,138	7	$55.07	1,800	0.65
Massachusetts	$117,330	2	$110,943	4	$56.41	4,590	1.26
Michigan	$88,430	43	$91,907	44	$42.51	2,630	0.60
Minnesota	$99,940	19	$101,337	24	$48.05	2,340	0.79
Mississippi	$80,870	47	$93,004	41	$38.88	330	0.28
Missouri	$98,490	24	$108,449	8	$47.35	2,150	0.73
Montana	$97,290	27	$102,795	18	$46.77	550	1.08
Nebraska	$91,530	42	$101,584	22	$44.01	620	0.60
Nevada	$101,570	13	$101,591	21	$48.83	530	0.34
New Hampshire	$101,100	15	$97,058	33	$48.61	250	0.36
New Jersey	$99,800	20	$91,724	45	$47.98	2,390	0.56
New Mexico	$77,720	51	$84,284	48	$37.37	600	0.69
New York	$99,280	21	$91,993	43	$47.73	10,360	1.07
North Carolina	$95,700	36	$101,457	23	$46.01	2,980	0.60
North Dakota	$97,110	28	$109,163	6	$46.69	290	0.68
Ohio	$94,960	38	$102,356	19	$45.65	3,480	0.63
Oklahoma	$100,350	17	$114,238	3	$48.25	910	0.53
Oregon	$98,800	22	$95,587	36	$47.50	2,050	1.04
Pennsylvania	$97,030	30	$99,445	27	$46.65	3,760	0.62
Rhode Island	$105,160	6	$102,816	17	$50.56	550	1.09
South Carolina	$101,550	14	$108,321	10	$48.82	1,030	0.45
South Dakota	$102,500	8	$115,707	2	$49.28	180	0.39
Tennessee	$94,030	40	$102,351	20	$45.21	2,570	0.78
Texas	$94,490	39	$97,355	31	$45.43	7,820	0.56
Utah	$95,590	37	$96,688	34	$45.96	1,520	0.88
Vermont	$82,400	45	$84,118	49	$39.61	320	1.04
Virginia	$97,680	26	$96,613	35	$46.96	2,130	0.52
Washington	$100,190	18	$93,624	38	$48.17	3,720	1.05
West Virginia	$96,470	32	$107,791	12	$46.38	80	0.11
Wisconsin	$98,510	23	$104,692	14	$47.36	1,230	0.42
Wyoming	$120,580	1	$130,088	1	$57.97	130	0.45

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for architects

230 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$129,640	$117,403	660
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$126,550	$109,460	3,780
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$125,980	$118,103	640
Modesto, CA	$124,810	$119,885	30
Barnstable Town, MA	$120,460	$122,480	180
Redding, CA	$120,060	$119,244	60
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$120,040	$107,287	1,280
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$119,120	$110,025	3,930
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$115,960	$110,980	1,140
Rapid City, SD	$115,600	$129,655	40

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	10,240	$99,710	$88,582
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,870	$104,170	$91,726
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	4,460	$81,790	$78,952
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	3,930	$119,120	$110,025
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	3,780	$126,550	$109,460
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	3,020	$102,080	$93,751
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	2,970	$100,610	$90,531
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,580	$93,840	$91,027
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	2,360	$97,590	$98,947
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	2,330	$98,140	$95,696

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves architect pay: employers and settings

Licensure is a major step in an architect's career. Unlicensed designers can do much of the drafting and modeling, but only a licensed architect can seal drawings, which opens the door to running projects and signing contracts. Across all architects, the 10th percentile earns $62,300, the median is $99,280, and the 90th percentile earns $161,420, though the spread reflects license status, role and location, not simply years on the job.

Employer type matters. Architecture and engineering firms, which employ most architects, pay a median of $98,440. Government pays more: local government roles have a median of $124,940 and the federal executive branch pays $118,440 (together they employ only about 2.5% of architects). Residential construction is lower at $89,580.

Location moves pay too. Wyoming tops the state medians at $120,580, followed by Massachusetts at $117,330, and Maryland, third at $114,550, while New Mexico is lowest at $77,720. Wyoming stays on top after adjusting for living costs, at $130,088. Owning a firm or becoming a partner can raise income further but also adds business risk.

Where architects work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	86.3%	$98,440
Residential Building Construction	2.1%	$89,580
Specialized Design Services	1.6%	$96,730
Nonresidential Building Construction	1.5%	$101,790
Federal Executive Branch	1.5%	$118,440
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	1%	$124,940

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	102,770	$98,710
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	1,630	$118,100
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,190	$104,940
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,180	$124,760

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Architect pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$99.3K $76.1K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $76,100 in 2015 to $99,280 in 2025, up 30% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $102,872 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 3% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What architects do

An architect designs buildings and takes legal responsibility for those designs. The work starts with a client's needs and budget: how many rooms, what the building has to do, where it sits on the site. From there the architect develops sketches into a schematic design, then into a full set of construction drawings and specifications that a contractor can price and build from, all checked against building codes, zoning, fire rules and accessibility law.

Most architects work in architecture and engineering firms, where 86.3% of the jobs in our data are. Smaller groups work for builders, design studios and government agencies, and about 14% of architects are self-employed. A typical week is spent at a computer with CAD and BIM software, in meetings with clients, engineers and consultants, and on occasional site visits once construction begins. Only a licensed architect can call themselves an architect and stamp drawings; many people doing the same tasks early in their careers hold titles like architectural designer while they finish licensure.

A typical day

Meet clients to pin down what the building needs to do, how big it should be and what they can spend
Sketch early layouts and massing options, then build them out as 3D models in BIM software
Check designs against building codes, zoning limits and accessibility rules
Coordinate drawings with structural, mechanical and electrical engineers
Produce construction documents and written specifications for contractors to bid on
Answer contractor questions, review shop drawings and walk the job site during construction
Mentor junior designers and review their drawings before they go out

Also called: architecture, architects, architectural designer, design architect, planner, project architect, specifications writer.

How to become an architect

Full guide

To become a licensed architect, you earn a NAAB-accredited professional degree (a 5-year B.Arch or an M.Arch), log 3,740 hours of supervised experience through NCARB's AXP, and pass the six-division Architect Registration Examination. The degree takes 5 to 7 years, and licensure usually comes about 7 to 12 years after starting college.

Typical time: 12 years; Fastest: 7 years
Minimum education: Professional degree in architecture (B.Arch, M.Arch or D.Arch) from a NAAB-accredited program in most states
License: Required in all 50 states and DC
Typical training cost: $61.4K–$82.5K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an architect: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 12 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $61.4K–$82.5K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $99,280; $48,300 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 62–83%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($48,300 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 1.3–1.7 years after training ends (12 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for architects

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +4.3%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 124,600; 129,900 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 6,900; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 14%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects architect jobs to grow 4.3% from 2025 to 2035, from 124,600 to 129,900, about as fast as the 3.5% expected across all jobs. That works out to about 6,900 openings a year, many of them created when architects retire or change careers. Demand comes from new construction and renovation of homes, schools and healthcare buildings, with sustainable design a growing share of the work. Better BIM tools and AI are making design work more efficient, which BLS says also lets architects take on a wider role in the building process.

Related careers and their pay

Construction Manager$114,990
Interior Designer$67,190
Civil Engineer$100,840
Project Manager$102,320
Landscape Architects$79,870

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Architect salary FAQ

How much do architects make an hour?

The median hourly wage for architects was $47.73 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29.95 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $77.61. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays architects the most?

Wyoming has the highest median pay for architects, $120,580 a year, followed by Massachusetts ($117,330) and Maryland ($114,550). After adjusting for each state's price level, Wyoming comes out ahead at about $130,088 in national-average dollars.

Do architects make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of architects earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $99,280, and the top 10% earn more than $161,420. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is an architect the same as an architectural designer?

No. In every state, the title architect is reserved for people who hold a state license. An architectural designer may have the same degree and do similar design and drafting work, but cannot legally call themselves an architect or seal construction documents. Many architectural designers are on their way to a license and are logging experience hours or taking exam divisions.

Do architects work long hours?

Often, yes. Most architects work full time and BLS notes that many put in extra hours, especially in the weeks before a design deadline or a permit or bid submission. Self-employed architects have more control over their schedules but also carry business tasks such as finding clients and billing.

Do architects need to be good at math?

You need solid algebra, geometry and basic trigonometry, and degree programs include structures courses that use physics. Day to day, software and consulting engineers handle most heavy calculations, so architects spend more time on spatial reasoning, code analysis and coordination than on equations. The Architect Registration Examination does test calculations tied to areas, loads, costs and building systems.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 17-1011
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (17-1011.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Fees, NCARB · checked October 28, 2026
NBTN 2026 Pathways to Practice, NCARB · checked October 28, 2026
Prospective Students: NAAB-Accredited Programs, National Architectural Accrediting Board · checked October 28, 2026
Experience Requirements, NCARB · checked October 28, 2026
Architects: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Top 10 FAQs for Candidates About the Path to Licensure, NCARB · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
Online Master of Architecture, Lawrence Technological University · checked October 28, 2026
Scheduling an Appointment, NCARB · checked October 28, 2026

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