June 4, 2025

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 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a sweeping review of wage and employment data from across the labor landscape. The latest installment — part of the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — was released within the last 60 days, offering a fresh, if technically backdated, snapshot of the architectural profession as of May 2024.

The core of this article is the full state-by-state breakdown of median annual wages for architects (excluding landscape and naval) — a detail-rich list that gives professionals a clear look at how compensation varies depending on geography. Whether you're an architect eyeing a move, a firm leader benchmarking salaries, or a student weighing long-term career prospects, this dataset offers a grounded reference point for understanding the profession’s pay scale across the U.S. and its territories.

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What’s in the Data — and What’s Not

The figures are drawn from surveys of employers, not individual professionals, and they exclude self-employed architects — a notable omission, given the number of sole practitioners and boutique firms operating independently. Also excluded are landscape architects (classified under 17-1012) and marine/naval architects (17-2121), who are tracked separately.

Above: Median income for architects Source: United States Bureau of Labor & Statistics

Wages shown are medians, not means. That’s important: medians give a better sense of what a "typical" architect earns in a given state, as they’re less skewed by unusually high or low earners. For reference, the national median wage for this occupation stands at $96,690, while the 90th percentile wage — indicative of top earners — can exceed $159,000.

Also worth noting: wages marked at or above $239,200 annually (or $115/hour) are returned separately due to reporting thresholds. Top earners likely exceed this, but they are not fully represented in the median rankings shown below.

Top Paying States for Architects

Includes Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Colorado not reported.

#	Area Name ▲▼	Employment ▲▼	Annual median income ($) ▲▼	Top 10% annual wage ($) ▲▼
1	District of Columbia	1,340	114,480	164,580
2	Wyoming	110	107,040	201,560
3	Rhode Island	410	106,950	122,540
4	California	13,880	105,840	181,110
5	Alaska	160	105,340	141,010
6	Connecticut	1,180	105,200	155,940
7	South Dakota	180	102,420	158,290
8	Massachusetts	4,790	101,980	173,060
9	Nevada	500	101,720	151,440
10	Georgia	2,630	100,870	204,540
11	Hawaii	500	100,370	132,480
12	Maryland	1,870	99,210	167,340
13	New York	10,930	98,580	167,230
14	New Hampshire	350	97,990	121,820
15	New Jersey	2,430	97,980	162,320
16	Missouri	2,130	97,970	161,630
17	Washington	4,500	97,800	128,290
18	Delaware	130	97,570	126,990
19	Arizona	1,430	97,470	133,750
20	Virginia	2,740	97,140	157,230
21	Ohio	3,080	97,130	159,120
22	Pennsylvania	4,140	95,640	153,800
23	Minnesota	2,430	95,380	138,900
24	Alabama	1,270	94,170	164,810
25	Wisconsin	1,330	93,310	126,520
26	Kentucky	640	93,230	129,440
27	North Carolina	2,920	87,990	140,700
28	Iowa	750	86,990	168,700
29	West Virginia	80	86,530	133,800
30	Nebraska	780	86,390	151,710
31	Texas	8,030	85,770	139,140
32	Tennessee	2,190	85,490	137,190
33	Arkansas	870	84,310	120,370
34	South Carolina	1,000	84,190	136,380
35	Oregon	2,130	83,870	126,230
36	Florida	5,500	83,720	142,750
37	Oklahoma	1,040	83,270	137,770
38	Montana	600	82,670	111,460
39	Kansas	980	82,660	129,170
40	Idaho	640	82,510	132,300
41	Michigan	2,940	82,170	134,050
42	Utah	1,300	81,710	144,380
43	Vermont	380	81,340	125,800
44	Maine	500	79,600	127,560
45	Illinois	5,580	79,320	128,530
46	Mississippi	430	79,040	158,690
47	Indiana	1,250	79,000	129,570
48	North Dakota	180	77,640	119,080
49	Louisiana	1,370	77,270	157,950
50	New Mexico	720	77,070	126,320
51	Puerto Rico	680	48,510	89,160
	Colorado	Not reported	Not reported	N/A