May 29, 2024
Ranked: The Top Paying States for Architects
Here's how much architects earn in every state: annual average incomes and top high-paying states
Each year, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics sheds light on the employment landscape through its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. This comprehensive survey, conducted semi-annually, provides detailed insights into the wages and employment figures for over 800 occupations. The latest data, reflecting employment numbers from May 2023 and released in April 2024, highlights trends and figures across various professions, including the important field of architecture.
As of May 2023, the occupation of architects, involved planning and designing structures such as office buildings, theaters, private residences and factories. The OEWS program reported approximately 111,170 architects employed in this category nationwide, with a mean hourly wage of $48.27 and an annual mean wage of $100,400. These figures illustrate the diverse opportunities and earning potential available within this field across the United States.
It's important to note that the data excluded landscape and naval architects (who were surveyed separately) and does not include self-employed workers.
Wage percentiles for architects varied significantly:
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The 10th percentile (top end of the bottom 10%) hourly wage was $28.31, translating to an annual wage of $58,870.
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The 25th percentile hourly wage stood at $35.21, or $73,240 annually.
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Median (50th percentile) hourly wages were $44.86, equating to $93,310 per year.
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The 75th percentile wages were $56.14 per hour, or $116,780 annually.
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The 90th percentile hourly wage reached $72.74, with an annual wage of $151,300.
Industries with the highest employment levels for architects, were predominantly within architectural, engineering, and related services, employing 96,030 individuals with a mean annual wage of $99,710. Other notable industries included residential building construction, specialized design services, and government roles. Among these, the highest paying sector was nondepository credit intermediation - which sounds like more of a financial role than a design profession - offering an impressive mean annual wage of $173,000.
Geographic Employment Insights
The states with the highest employment levels for this occupation were:
- California: 15,370 architects, mean annual wage of $120,780
- New York: 10,970 architects, mean annual wage of $109,160
- Texas: 8,110 architects, mean annual wage of $92,950
- Illinois: 5,470 architects, mean annual wage of $93,210
- Florida: 5,380 architects, mean annual wage of $97,860
The highest concentration of architect jobs was found in the District of Columbia, with a location quotient of 3.60, and a mean annual wage of $115,230. Other states with significant job concentrations included Massachusetts, Colorado, and Washington.
The top paying states for architects, excluding landscape and naval, were:
- California: Mean annual wage of $120,780
- District of Columbia: Mean annual wage of $115,230
- Wyoming: Mean annual wage of $114,810
- Alaska: Mean annual wage of $111,150
- Nevada: Mean annual wage of $110,780
Top Paying States for Architects
- Click on column heading to sort ascending/descending
- Alabama not reported; Guam & Puerto Rico excluded.
- Excludes landscape architects and naval architects which were surveyed separately.
- Wage data excludes self-employed architects
- Ranked by Annual Mean Wage
| # | Area Name ▲▼ | Employment ▲▼ | Annual mean wage ▲▼ | Top 10% annual wage ▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 15,370 | $120,780 | $180,610 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 1,850 | $115,230 | $162,970 |
| 3 | Wyoming | 100 | $114,810 | $195,620 |
| 4 | Alaska | 150 | $111,150 | $136,930 |
| 5 | Nevada | 330 | $110,780 | $142,220 |
| 6 | New York | 10,970 | $109,160 | $160,940 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 1,130 | $108,100 | $159,790 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 4,830 | $106,550 | $153,490 |
| 9 | Virginia | 2,340 | $104,060 | $145,600 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 2,180 | $103,470 | $156,660 |
| 11 | Maryland | 2,200 | $101,060 | $153,540 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 1,990 | $100,140 | $153,930 |
| 13 | Arizona | 1,450 | $99,430 | $128,160 |
| 14 | Delaware | 90 | $99,330 | $129,110 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 2,660 | $99,110 | $137,810 |
| 16 | Georgia | 3,040 | $98,680 | $147,920 |
| 17 | Ohio | 3,230 | $98,550 | $160,400 |
| 18 | Florida | 5,380 | $97,860 | $137,040 |
| 19 | South Dakota | 160 | $97,460 | $127,710 |
| 20 | Iowa | 700 | $97,140 | $152,050 |
| 21 | Colorado | 3,470 | $95,570 | $132,510 |
| 22 | Hawaii | 560 | $93,560 | $129,750 |
| 23 | Vermont | 280 | $93,300 | $122,320 |
| 24 | Illinois | 5,470 | $93,210 | $135,750 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 530 | $93,020 | $127,760 |
| 26 | Texas | 8,110 | $92,950 | $131,420 |
| 27 | Washington | 4,120 | $91,580 | $123,840 |
| 28 | South Carolina | 1,020 | $91,520 | $150,600 |
| 29 | Nebraska | 630 | $90,860 | $134,280 |
| 30 | Michigan | 3,060 | $89,880 | $133,610 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | 3,540 | $88,340 | $122,640 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | 1,610 | $88,290 | $121,400 |
| 33 | North Carolina | 3,260 | $88,270 | $131,480 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 930 | $88,270 | $134,280 |
| 35 | Indiana | 1,150 | $88,170 | $125,850 |
| 36 | Oregon | 2,050 | $87,990 | $122,470 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 330 | $87,480 | $121,120 |
| 38 | Idaho | 660 | $86,630 | $116,790 |
| 39 | Missouri | 2,330 | $86,600 | $127,080 |
| 40 | New Mexico | 620 | $85,880 | $119,160 |
| 41 | Arkansas | 670 | $84,500 | $119,130 |
| 42 | Kansas | 1,040 | $84,010 | $127,490 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 360 | $83,670 | $110,160 |
| 44 | Louisiana | 1,010 | $83,380 | $126,680 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 160 | $83,360 | $113,030 |
| 46 | Montana | 470 | $82,630 | $106,800 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 200 | $80,870 | $124,540 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 350 | $80,550 | $128,170 |
| 49 | Maine | 500 | $78,720 | $119,980 |
| 50 | Utah | 1,200 | $76,570 | $124,950 |
| 51 | Alabama | 1,340 | Not reported | Not reported |
Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas
Metropolitan Areas: The metropolitan areas with the highest employment levels included New York-Newark-Jersey City, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward stood out as the highest paying metropolitan area, offering a mean annual wage of $136,770.
Nonmetropolitan Areas: In nonmetropolitan regions, the Northwest Colorado area had the highest employment and job concentration, with 370 employed architects earning a mean annual wage of $84,810. Western Wyoming was the top-paying nonmetropolitan area with an annual wage of $121,670.
The data reflects substantial variations in employment opportunities and wages for architects across different industries and regions. With high demand in urban centers and specific industries, the profession offers significant earning potential, particularly in states like California and urban metropolitan areas.
