Best cities for an architectural engineer
The best cities for architectural engineers are San Jose, CA, Sacramento, CA, and Santa Ana, CA, based on factors like average salary and job availability per capita. Jobs and pay for architectural engineers vary across the country, but we've determined the ten best cities for architectural engineers in the U.S.
Whether you're starting your career as an architectural engineer or considering a move, this list of the best cities for architectural engineers to live in will help you decide. These aren't just the best-paying cities for architectural engineers. We also consider how easy it is to find work as an architectural engineer. While the absolute best city for architectural engineers is San Jose, CA, there are plenty of other great places to consider.
Keep reading to learn more about the best cities for architectural engineers in 2024.
If you're looking for an architectural engineer job, here are five companies hiring now:
10 best cities for architectural engineers in 2025
1. San Jose, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 37 Average annual salary: $138,973 Lowest 10 percent warn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location quotient: 3.39 2. Sacramento, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $138,995 Lowest 10 percent warn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location quotient: 1.56 3. Santa Ana, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $129,763 Lowest 10 percent warn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location quotient: 5.20 4. Los Angeles, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $130,983 Lowest 10 percent warn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location quotient: 1.51 5. Chula Vista, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $125,660 Lowest 10 percent warn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location quotient: 9.01 6. Irvine, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $129,491 Lowest 10 percent warn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location quotient: 1.42 7. Oklahoma City, OK
Total architectural engineer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $98,941 Lowest 10 percent warn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location quotient: 1.59 8. Austin, TX
Total architectural engineer jobs: 64 Average annual salary: $95,351 Lowest 10 percent warn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location quotient: 6.21 9. San Francisco, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $139,669 Lowest 10 percent warn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location quotient: 0.58 10. San Diego, CA
Total architectural engineer jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $126,229 Lowest 10 percent warn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $188,000 Location quotient: 1.07
Choose from 10+ customizable architectural engineer resume templates
Choose from a variety of easy-to-use architectural engineer resume templates and get expert advice from Zippia’s AI resume writer along the way. Using pre-approved templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your architectural engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Best cities for architectural engineers
- San Jose, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chula Vista, CA
- Irvine, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Austin, TX
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
- (37 architectural engineer jobs)
- (5 architectural engineer jobs)
- (4 architectural engineer jobs)
- (20 architectural engineer jobs)
- (2 architectural engineer jobs)
- (6 architectural engineer jobs)
- (5 architectural engineer jobs)
- (64 architectural engineer jobs)
- (9 architectural engineer jobs)
- (10 architectural engineer jobs)
Detailed list of the best cities for an architectural engineer
| Rank | City | Average salary | Lowest 10% Earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $138,973 | $93,000 | 1,025,350 | 37 |
| 2 | Sacramento, CA | $138,995 | $93,000 | 495,234 | 5 |
| 3 | Santa Ana, CA | $129,763 | $86,000 | 334,217 | 4 |
| 4 | Los Angeles, CA | $130,983 | $87,000 | 3,976,322 | 20 |
| 5 | Chula Vista, CA | $125,660 | $84,000 | 267,172 | 2 |
| 6 | Irvine, CA | $129,491 | $86,000 | 266,122 | 6 |
| 7 | Oklahoma City, OK | $98,941 | $64,000 | 638,367 | 5 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $95,351 | $62,000 | 947,890 | 64 |
| 9 | San Francisco, CA | $139,669 | $93,000 | 870,887 | 9 |
| 10 | San Diego, CA | $126,229 | $84,000 | 1,406,630 | 10 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | $93,943 | $61,000 | 303,625 | 5 |
| 12 | Fremont, CA | $139,165 | $93,000 | 233,136 | 1 |
| 13 | Oakland, CA | $139,486 | $93,000 | 420,005 | - |
| 14 | Lexington, KY | $91,956 | $59,000 | 318,449 | 1 |
| 15 | Stockton, CA | $138,781 | $93,000 | 307,072 | - |
| 16 | Tulsa, OK | $97,217 | $63,000 | 403,090 | 1 |
| 17 | Fresno, CA | $137,017 | $91,000 | 522,053 | - |
| 18 | Newark, NJ | $119,231 | $77,000 | 281,764 | 1 |
| 19 | Albuquerque, NM | $93,554 | $61,000 | 559,277 | 3 |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN | $85,146 | $55,000 | 855,164 | 11 |
| 21 | Bakersfield, CA | $134,448 | $89,000 | 376,380 | - |
| 22 | Anaheim, CA | $130,063 | $86,000 | 351,043 | - |
| 23 | Long Beach, CA | $130,113 | $87,000 | 470,130 | - |
| 24 | Riverside, CA | $129,932 | $86,000 | 324,722 | - |
| 25 | Saint Paul, MN | $92,644 | $62,000 | 302,398 | 5 |
| 26 | Raleigh, NC | $87,224 | $55,000 | 458,880 | 9 |
| 27 | Philadelphia, PA | $96,052 | $62,000 | 1,567,872 | 3 |
| 28 | Chandler, AZ | $88,890 | $59,000 | 247,477 | 10 |
| 29 | Columbus, OH | $88,784 | $57,000 | 860,090 | 6 |
| 30 | Portland, OR | $113,451 | $76,000 | 639,863 | 1 |
| 31 | Reno, NV | $104,243 | $69,000 | 245,255 | - |
| 32 | Jersey City, NJ | $119,292 | $77,000 | 264,152 | - |
| 33 | Las Vegas, NV | $102,031 | $67,000 | 632,912 | - |
| 34 | Plano, TX | $94,777 | $61,000 | 286,057 | 4 |
| 35 | North Las Vegas, NV | $101,959 | $67,000 | 238,702 | - |
| 36 | Henderson, NV | $101,701 | $67,000 | 292,969 | - |
| 37 | Boston, MA | $102,391 | $66,000 | 673,184 | 12 |
| 38 | Fort Worth, TX | $95,380 | $61,000 | 854,113 | 1 |
| 39 | Irving, TX | $95,074 | $61,000 | 238,289 | 3 |
| 40 | Charlotte, NC | $86,501 | $55,000 | 842,051 | 10 |
| 41 | El Paso, TX | $99,177 | $65,000 | 683,080 | - |
| 42 | Louisville, KY | $91,748 | $59,000 | 597,337 | - |
| 43 | Kansas City, MO | $100,401 | $65,000 | 481,420 | - |
| 44 | Lubbock, TX | $98,048 | $64,000 | 252,506 | - |
| 45 | Saint Louis, MO | $99,117 | $64,000 | 311,404 | - |
| 46 | Dallas, TX | $95,006 | $61,000 | 1,317,929 | 4 |
| 47 | Arlington, TX | $95,241 | $61,000 | 392,772 | - |
| 48 | Lincoln, NE | $80,760 | $53,000 | 280,364 | 6 |
| 49 | Cleveland, OH | $89,869 | $58,000 | 385,809 | - |
| 50 | San Antonio, TX | $95,028 | $61,000 | 1,492,510 | - |
Highest paying cities for architectural engineers
| Rank | City | Avg. architectural engineer salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,669 |
| 2 | Hillsboro, OR | $113,787 |
| 3 | Bellevue, WA | $104,180 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $102,391 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $97,527 |
| 6 | Roy, UT | $97,259 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $95,351 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $94,410 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh, PA | $93,943 |
| 10 | Tempe, AZ | $89,045 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | $87,224 |
| 12 | Dearborn, MI | $87,142 |
| 13 | Jacksonville, FL | $86,600 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $85,983 |
| 15 | Washington, DC | $85,716 |
| 16 | Indianapolis, IN | $85,146 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $85,078 |
| 18 | Greenville, SC | $84,784 |
| 19 | Overland Park, KS | $83,265 |
| 20 | Chicago, IL | $80,731 |
Architectural engineer best cities FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for architectural engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025