Architects, Except Landscape and Naval

SOC 17-1011 • View wages by state

The median annual wage for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval is $93,310, based on BLS OEWS 2023 data. The mean annual wage is $100,400, and an estimated 111,170 workers are employed in this occupation nationally. Between 2020 and 2023, pay rose +13.4% while consumer prices rose 17.7% — a real change of -3.7% (pay did not keep up with inflation). BLS projects employment will grow 3.9% between 2024 and 2034.

Wage Trend & Inflation Adjustment

How the national median wage for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval has moved across BLS OEWS release years, and what each year's wage is worth in 2023 dollars after adjusting for CPI inflation. "Real" change strips out inflation — the truest measure of whether pay is actually rising.

National median wage trend for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval, nominal and inflation-adjusted, BLS OEWS.
Year Median (nominal) In 2023 $ (real) Employment
2023 $93,310 $93,310 111,170
2022 $82,840 $86,250 107,490
2021 $80,180 $90,161 100,400
2020 $82,320 $96,917 103,900

Nominal change

+13.4%

Inflation (CPI)

+17.7%

Real change

-3.7%

Job Outlook (2024–2034 BLS projection)

The BLS Employment Projections program estimates how each occupation's employment will change over the coming decade, and how many job openings to expect each year (from both growth and the need to replace workers who leave).

Projected Growth

+3.9%

Faster than average

Employment 2024

123,600

Projected 2034

128,400

Annual Openings

7,800

Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.

Highest-Paying Areas (2023)

Where Architects, Except Landscape and Naval earn the most, and how each area's median compares to the national median of $93,310. A positive premium means the area pays above the national rate.

Highest-paying areas for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval, BLS OEWS 2023.
Area Median Annual vs National Employment
Alaska $106,780 +14.4% 150
Delaware $105,270 +12.8% 90
Connecticut $103,450 +10.9% 1,130
District of Columbia $102,740 +10.1% 1,850
Nevada $101,900 +9.2% 330
South Florida nonmetropolitan area $101,610 +8.9% 40
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area $100,970 +8.2% 60
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area $100,930 +8.2% 40
South Dakota $100,640 +7.9% 160
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area $100,360 +7.6% 70
Full wages-by-state breakdown →

Wage Distribution (National, 2023)

10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages from BLS OEWS — the full spread, not just an average.

10th Pct

$58,870

25th Pct

$73,240

Median

$93,310

75th Pct

$116,780

90th Pct

$151,300

H-1B Employer Filings

Employer-certified wages from DOL H-1B LCA filings — competitive market benchmark, not approved visas.

The average H-1B median wage for this occupation is $79,24415.1% below the OEWS national median of $93,310. H-1B certified wages trail the broader market median for this role.
H-1B employer filings for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval, DOL LCA data.
Employer State Filings Median Wage
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP NY 6 $80,850
Perkins Eastman Architects DPC NY 6 $78,000
HELLMUTH OBATA & KASSABAUM, INC. CA 5 $75,005
HANDEL ARCHITECTS LLP NY 5 $71,000
STV Incorporated MD 5 $88,716
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP CA 5 $80,000
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP IL 4 $63,000
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP CA 4 $70,000
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC NY 4 $95,700
M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. CA 4 $115,000
HELLMUTH OBATA & KASSABAUM, INC. WA 3 $67,205
Superstructures Engineering & Architecture, PLLC NY 3 $80,000
WRNS Studio CA 3 $90,500
WEISS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS, LLP NY 3 $67,710
SmithGroup, Inc., subsidiary of SmithGroup Co., Inc. CA 3 $100,000
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP DC 3 $80,000
Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. NY 3 $88,000
Perkins Eastman Architects DPC TX 3 $67,970
Momentum Exterior Systems, LLC TX 3 $62,296
Pickard Chilton Architects, Inc. CT 3 $63,929

Source: DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification, H-1B LCA data.

Related Occupations in Architecture & Engineering

Other occupations in the same SOC major group, ranked by national median wage.

All Architecture & Engineering occupations →
Wages by State Compare with another occupation All H-1B Employers