Annual Salary for Architectural Design
- By canvassing 87,7000 architects working throughout the country, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) concluded that the average yearly salary for the occupation as of May 2010 is $78,530, which translates into $37.75 an hour and $6,544 per month. Architects in the highest 10 percent of earners achieve annual salaries in excess of $119,500, while their colleagues in the bottom 10 percent earn averages of lower than $42,860.
- The largest number of architects is employed within architectural, engineering and related services, according to BLS statistics for 2010. The average wage level within this sector is $78,040. This is a higher rate than that for architects employed within nonresidential building construction ($75,600) although less than that earmed by those working in residential building construction ($81,460). Architects working for the federal executive branch earn an average of $88,980, while those in state government branches receive $74,500.
- According to a survey of wage levels across certain major U.S. cities conducted by SalaryExpert.com in May 2011, architects are likely to earn the highest pay levels in Los Angeles and Houston, which average $85,381 and $74,084, respectively. Pay rates are almost identical in Charlotte ($65,722) and Chicago ($65,631) while the average in Miami is $63,261. Architect salaries are highest in California, averaging $91,010, followed by Vermont ($89,280) and Nevada ($88,560). Texas is listed at $76,890 and Washington state at $71,040.
- According to the BLS, architects should experience employment growth of approximately 16 percent from 2008 to 2018. This is a slightly higher growth rate than for employment as a whole, posited at between seven and 13 percent through 2018. An expanding, aging population will fuel a need for more buildings and thus motivate the rise in demand for architectural design services. This should mean that wage levels for architects will remain high, says the BLS.