At a glance
Median pay for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval runs from $75,600 in Little Rock to $129,640 in San Jose across 75 curated metros; the middle value is $99,230.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment, the top three are Sacramento ($118,103), San Jose ($117,403), Oklahoma City ($112,689).
These are workforce estimates from published medians, not job offers or expected hiring pay.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
How pay for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval varies across metros
Across the 75 curated metros with a reported median, the nominal annual median for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval runs from $75,600 in Little Rock to $129,640 in San Jose, a 1.71× difference. After dividing each median by its metro’s BEA price parity, the range is $78,952 in Chicago to $118,103 in Sacramento, a 1.50× difference. The middle value across these metros is $99,230 nominal and $99,352 adjusted.
The price adjustment changes the order. Out of 75 metros, Des Moines moves from 52nd on nominal pay to 16th on adjusted pay while Los Angeles moves from 10th to 62nd. These ranks compare published medians only, not openings or offers.
Beyond the median: published wage percentiles
The following six metros lead this curated set on the price-adjusted median measure. The five annual wage statistics are the original BLS estimates; they have not been price-adjusted. They illustrate the estimated wage distribution for the same occupation and geographic unit.
Scroll sideways to explore every column →
| Metropolitan area | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $77,670 | $98,200 | $125,980 | $152,420 | $171,050 |
| San Jose, CA | $80,040 | $100,190 | $129,640 | $168,520 | $229,250 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $56,050 | $75,800 | $101,880 | $121,410 | $173,100 |
| Tulsa, OK | $54,910 | $75,570 | $99,740 | $120,660 | $162,790 |
| Baltimore, MD | $68,770 | $83,760 | $115,960 | $146,730 | $181,280 |
| Dayton, OH | $61,510 | $75,650 | $102,550 | $146,920 | $182,110 |
Percentiles describe a distribution, not an individual’s pay; suppressed values are marked Unavailable.
National career outlook and entry requirements
The BLS projects national employment for Architects, except landscape and naval from 2025 to 2035. These occupational projections are national; they do not forecast openings in any particular metro area.
Among the 80 occupations curated on this site, projected 2025–2035 growth of +4.3% ranks 49th (the middle value is +5.0%), and about 6,900 projected annual openings rank 75th. This compares only the occupations on this site and does not predict hiring in any one metro.
The BLS lists no related work experience as typically required for entry. Its typical training category is internship/residency. National employment base: 124,600 workers in 2025; projected 129,900 in 2035.
Openings are projected national totals, including replacements, not job ads or local vacancies. Education and training categories are typical patterns; licensing varies by role. BLS 2025–2035 Occupational Projections, Table 1.2. Read the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
What to check for this occupation before moving
How roles can differ: Architects design buildings and spaces, and pay typically rises with licensure and project responsibility. The BLS lists an internship or residency as typical training, and state licensure is generally needed to practice.
Questions to ask about a real offer: Ask whether the firm supports licensing exams and fees, which project types you would work on, and how overtime during deadlines is treated. Check licensing rules in the state where you would work.
This is editorial guidance, not a claim that every employer or state follows these practices; verify terms with the employer and relevant authorities.
What this occupation median does—and does not—tell you
BLS OEWS wages are employer-reported estimates for wage-and-salary jobs, so self-employment income is not included. Annual figures assume a 2,080-hour year. Wages include commissions and tips but exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A median is neither a new-hire salary nor a vacancy count.
Regional price parities compare overall price levels with the U.S. average; housing data come from a different survey and are not subtracted again from the wage. Missing wages and suppressed percentiles stay unavailable. See the methodology for details.
Salary for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval in Chicago, IL–IN
Chicago is shown as a worked example (one of the larger metros on this site); it is not a recommendation, and the table above lists every metro with a reported median. Of 75 metros, it ranks 71st on nominal median and 75th on price-adjusted median.
For the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro, the May 2025 BLS annual occupational median is $81,790. The published 25th-to-75th-percentile wage interval is $65,820 to $105,090. The price-adjusted median of $78,952 applies the BEA 2024 all-items index of 103.6 (U.S. = 100). It does not reflect an employer offer, taxes or your individual household costs.
The ACS metro-wide gross-rent median is $1,430 per month; with an ACS margin of error of ±$6. Gross rent includes estimated utilities and covers renters generally, not workers in this occupation. For a data-driven contrast, Albuquerque has a published BLS median of $76,520 and adjusted median of $80,087. This comparison metro has the closest observed adjusted median in our curated set. This does not establish similar rents or local job conditions. Compare Chicago with Albuquerque in the interactive tool, or review the Chicago metro profile for income, housing uncertainty and commute context.
Before relying on a quoted salary, confirm that the job matches this BLS occupation and that pay period, hours and benefits are comparable.