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Architectural designer salary
Average architectural designer salary
$59,122
Architectural Designer Salary Overview
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Architectural Designer in the United States is $59,122 per year or approximately $28 per hour. These figures are influenced by various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific sector within the architecture field. For instance, designers in metropolitan areas often earn higher salaries due to increased demand and living costs.
Salaries by Experience Level
Architectural Designers typically see a significant salary increase as they gain experience. Entry-level designers may start with salaries around $45,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $75,000. Advanced positions, such as Senior Architectural Designer or Project Manager, may command even higher salaries, reflecting the greater responsibilities and expertise required.
Top-Paying States
Some of the highest-paying states for Architectural Designers include California, New York, and Massachusetts. For example, in California, salaries can exceed $75,000, particularly in urban areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths and salary expectations.
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Where can an Architectural Designer earn more?
Architectural designer salaries by experience level
Architectural designer salary estimates from across the web
Average architectural designer salary by state
The average architectural designer salary in Vermont, Rhode Island, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average architectural designer salary states are Michigan, Kansas, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for architectural designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $65,223 | $31.36 |
| 2 | Vermont | $65,615 | $31.55 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $60,177 | $28.93 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $65,231 | $31.36 |
| 5 | New York | $61,021 | $29.34 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $58,940 | $28.34 |
| 7 | Washington | $59,154 | $28.44 |
| 8 | Illinois | $58,545 | $28.15 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $59,312 | $28.52 |
| 10 | California | $60,875 | $29.27 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $60,994 | $29.32 |
| 12 | Montana | $57,881 | $27.83 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $57,334 | $27.56 |
| 14 | Maryland | $60,387 | $29.03 |
| 15 | Arizona | $56,065 | $26.95 |
| 16 | Utah | $54,190 | $26.05 |
| 17 | Colorado | $56,944 | $27.38 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $58,781 | $28.26 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $54,024 | $25.97 |
| 20 | Indiana | $55,587 | $26.72 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $56,485 | $27.16 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $53,226 | $25.59 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $55,373 | $26.62 |
| 24 | Oregon | $53,556 | $25.75 |
| 25 | Texas | $52,217 | $25.10 |
| 26 | Virginia | $53,132 | $25.54 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $53,483 | $25.71 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $53,211 | $25.58 |
| 29 | Missouri | $52,464 | $25.22 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $51,445 | $24.73 |
| 31 | Delaware | $54,641 | $26.27 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $53,083 | $25.52 |
| 33 | Ohio | $50,202 | $24.14 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $58,746 | $28.24 |
| 35 | Nevada | $51,398 | $24.71 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $50,932 | $24.49 |
| 37 | Maine | $51,538 | $24.78 |
| 38 | Michigan | $49,318 | $23.71 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $51,646 | $24.83 |
| 40 | Iowa | $50,435 | $24.25 |
| 41 | Alaska | $52,772 | $25.37 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $50,183 | $24.13 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $50,143 | $24.11 |
| 44 | Idaho | $50,723 | $24.39 |
| 45 | Kansas | $49,261 | $23.68 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $49,611 | $23.85 |
| 47 | Florida | $48,325 | $23.23 |
| 48 | Georgia | $49,444 | $23.77 |
| 49 | Alabama | $43,285 | $20.81 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $46,539 | $22.37 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $45,756 | $22.00 |
Highest paying cities for architectural designers
The highest-paying cities for architectural designers are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $65,217 | $31.35 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $61,788 | $29.71 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $61,080 | $29.37 |
| 4 | Newark, NJ | $61,073 | $29.36 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $60,566 | $29.12 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $59,297 | $28.51 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $59,263 | $28.49 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $58,766 | $28.25 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $58,751 | $28.25 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $56,901 | $27.36 |
| 11 | Newark, DE | $54,685 | $26.29 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $54,261 | $26.09 |
| 13 | Arlington, VA | $53,799 | $25.86 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $53,517 | $25.73 |
| 15 | New Haven, CT | $53,123 | $25.54 |
| 16 | Kansas City, MO | $52,632 | $25.30 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $52,616 | $25.30 |
| 18 | San Antonio, TX | $52,555 | $25.27 |
| 19 | Portland, ME | $51,615 | $24.81 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $51,476 | $24.75 |
Architectural Designers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Architectural designer salary details
An architectural designer's salary ranges from $45,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $77,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an architectural designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $59,122 | $4,927 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $45,000 | $3,750 | $22 |
Highest paying architectural designer jobs
The highest paying types of architectural designers are architect, project manager/design manager, and project architect.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting Internship | $42,284 | $3,524 | $20.33 | 51,193 |
| Autocad Drafter | $41,984 | $3,499 | $20.18 | 2,429 |
| Computer Aided Drafter | $43,520 | $3,627 | $20.92 | 16,907 |
| Drafter | $43,542 | $3,629 | $20.93 | 3,968 |
| Computer Aided Design Designer | $60,150 | $5,012 | $28.92 | 92,503 |
| Project Architect | $76,812 | $6,401 | $36.93 | 82,192 |
Top companies hiring architectural designers now:
Which companies pay architectural designers the most?
Architectural designer salaries at Apple and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average architectural designer salary at companies like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and KLA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $75,691 | $36.39 |
| 2 | $72,505 | $34.86 | |
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $68,749 | $33.05 |
| 4 | KLA | $66,501 | $31.97 |
| 5 | Collins & Company | $66,367 | $31.91 |
| 6 | J.P. Morgan | $64,334 | $30.93 |
| 7 | Lehman Smith McLeish | $64,200 | $30.87 |
| 8 | MUFG EMEA | $64,044 | $30.79 |
| 9 | Citi | $63,578 | $30.57 |
| 10 | HLW | $63,398 | $30.48 |
| 11 | Spector Group Architects | $63,197 | $30.38 |
| 12 | Tesla | $63,115 | $30.34 |
| 13 | Rafael Viñoly Architects | $63,084 | $30.33 |
| 14 | Parsons | $63,083 | $30.33 |
| 15 | Silverstein Properties | $62,873 | $30.23 |
| 16 | Greenbergfarrow | $62,786 | $30.19 |
| 17 | Harrison French and Associates | $62,779 | $30.18 |
| 18 | LEO A DALY | $62,747 | $30.17 |
| 19 | Mahlum | $62,703 | $30.15 |
| 20 | Shremshock | $62,657 | $30.12 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Architectural designer salary trends
The average architectural designer salary has risen by $10,539 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average architectural designer earned $48,583 annually, but today, they earn $59,122 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for architectural designers over the last decade.
Compare architectural designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average architectural designer salary over time
Compare architectural designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Architectural designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $59,100 | $28.42 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | $57,900 | $27.85 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $56,500 | $27.15 | +3.7% |
| 2023 | $54,400 | $26.14 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $53,100 | $25.53 | +1.8% |
Recently added architectural designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gensler | Designer-Architecture | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $68,000 |
| Gensler | Technical Designer-Architecture-Mid Level | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $73,000 |
| Arcadis | Architectural Designer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $66,000 |
| EXP | Architectural Designer | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
| Johnson Civil Engineers & Land Planners | Junior Architectural Designer/Architectural Job Captain | Mill Valley, CA | 06/29/2025 | $62,610 |
| TJG Civil Engineers and Land Planners | Junior Architectural Designer/Architectural Job Captain | Mill Valley, CA | 06/29/2025 | $62,610 |
| Wendel LLC | Architectural Designer | Minneapolis, MN | 06/28/2025 | $55,000 |
| Stvinc | Architectural Designer | Owings Mills, MD | 06/28/2025 | $98,342 |
| Pima County | Architectural Designer | Tucson, AZ | 06/27/2025 | $59,675 |
| Ensis Corp | Architectural Designer | Orange, CA | 06/27/2025 | $75,000 |
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