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Architectural internship salary
Average architectural internship salary
$53,914
Understanding Architectural Internship Salaries
The average salary for architectural interns is $53,914 per year, translating to about $26 per hour. This figure can vary depending on several factors, including location, industry, and individual experience. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher wages due to the cost of living and demand for architectural professionals.
Interns can also see differences in pay based on the specific sector they work in, with commercial architecture firms typically offering more competitive salaries compared to residential firms. Additionally, internships that provide valuable hands-on experience may lead to better job prospects and salary increases after graduation.
To maximize earning potential, aspiring architects should consider internships in high-paying industries such as engineering services, where the demand for skilled interns is robust. Networking and actively seeking opportunities in reputable firms can also enhance one's chances of landing a well-paying internship.
Conclusion
Navigating the architectural internship landscape can be challenging, but understanding salary expectations is a critical step towards a successful career in architecture. This page serves as a valuable resource for those looking to break into the field.
Let Zippi find your next architectural internship job
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Where can an Architectural Internship earn more?
Architectural internship salary estimates from across the web
Average architectural internship salary by state
The average architectural internship salary in Vermont, New Jersey, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average architectural internship salary states are Idaho, Alabama, and Louisiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for architectural interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $60,162 | $28.92 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $58,578 | $28.16 |
| 3 | Arizona | $58,435 | $28.09 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $63,226 | $30.40 |
| 5 | Vermont | $65,137 | $31.32 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $60,541 | $29.11 |
| 7 | Illinois | $58,372 | $28.06 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $63,115 | $30.34 |
| 9 | Washington | $57,756 | $27.77 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $56,726 | $27.27 |
| 11 | Oregon | $56,236 | $27.04 |
| 12 | Maryland | $60,434 | $29.05 |
| 13 | New York | $60,934 | $29.30 |
| 14 | California | $58,262 | $28.01 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $55,407 | $26.64 |
| 16 | Utah | $53,423 | $25.68 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $56,517 | $27.17 |
| 18 | Montana | $55,547 | $26.71 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $56,977 | $27.39 |
| 20 | Colorado | $54,796 | $26.34 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $56,165 | $27.00 |
| 22 | Missouri | $53,496 | $25.72 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $54,501 | $26.20 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $53,837 | $25.88 |
| 25 | Texas | $51,503 | $24.76 |
| 26 | Kansas | $52,872 | $25.42 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $58,196 | $27.98 |
| 28 | Nevada | $52,505 | $25.24 |
| 29 | Ohio | $51,032 | $24.53 |
| 30 | Georgia | $49,682 | $23.89 |
| 31 | Virginia | $50,887 | $24.46 |
| 32 | Delaware | $53,131 | $25.54 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $50,471 | $24.26 |
| 34 | Maine | $51,484 | $24.75 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $50,093 | $24.08 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $50,972 | $24.51 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $49,470 | $23.78 |
| 38 | Florida | $50,261 | $24.16 |
| 39 | Michigan | $49,385 | $23.74 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $49,544 | $23.82 |
| 41 | Alaska | $49,120 | $23.62 |
| 42 | Iowa | $49,238 | $23.67 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $48,561 | $23.35 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $50,195 | $24.13 |
| 45 | Idaho | $48,240 | $23.19 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $48,929 | $23.52 |
| 47 | Alabama | $47,986 | $23.07 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $46,039 | $22.13 |
| 49 | Indiana | $45,798 | $22.02 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $46,179 | $22.20 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,901 | $21.59 |
Highest paying cities for architectural interns
The highest-paying cities for architectural interns are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Towson, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $63,106 | $30.34 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $60,958 | $29.31 |
| 3 | Towson, MD | $60,860 | $29.26 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $60,603 | $29.14 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | $59,017 | $28.37 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $58,570 | $28.16 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $58,518 | $28.13 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $57,872 | $27.82 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $56,271 | $27.05 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $56,239 | $27.04 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $55,756 | $26.81 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $54,821 | $26.36 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | $53,643 | $25.79 |
| 14 | Salt Lake City, UT | $53,427 | $25.69 |
| 15 | Las Vegas, NV | $52,395 | $25.19 |
| 16 | San Antonio, TX | $51,760 | $24.88 |
| 17 | Oklahoma City, OK | $51,051 | $24.54 |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $50,841 | $24.44 |
| 19 | Norfolk, VA | $50,800 | $24.42 |
| 20 | Coral Gables, FL | $50,750 | $24.40 |
Architectural internship salary details
An architectural internship's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $69,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an architectural internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| 75th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| Average | $53,914 | $4,493 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $41,000 | $3,417 | $20 |
Highest paying architectural internship jobs
The highest paying types of architectural interns are architect, project designer, and structural designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Aided Drafter | $43,520 | $3,627 | $20.92 | 16,907 |
| Computer Aided Design Designer | $60,150 | $5,012 | $28.92 | 92,503 |
| Truss Designer | $50,866 | $4,239 | $24.45 | 45,424 |
| Autocad Designer | $55,786 | $4,649 | $26.82 | 46,459 |
| Drafter | $43,542 | $3,629 | $20.93 | 3,968 |
| Autocad Drafter | $41,984 | $3,499 | $20.18 | 2,429 |
Top companies hiring architectural interns now:
Which companies pay architectural interns the most?
Architectural internship salaries at Micron Technology and OCC are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average architectural internship salary at companies like Rafael Viñoly Architects and 1100 Architect are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Micron Technology | $63,935 | $30.74 |
| 2 | OCC | $62,793 | $30.19 |
| 3 | Rafael Viñoly Architects | $62,204 | $29.91 |
| 4 | 1100 Architect | $61,814 | $29.72 |
| 5 | Pei Cobb Freed & Partners | $61,798 | $29.71 |
| 6 | Robert A.M. Stern Architects | $61,681 | $29.65 |
| 7 | SFCS Architects | $61,489 | $29.56 |
| 8 | Elkus Manfredi Arch | $61,477 | $29.56 |
| 9 | Zgf Architects | $61,471 | $29.55 |
| 10 | Heller Manus Architects | $61,333 | $29.49 |
| 11 | FBT Architects | $61,309 | $29.48 |
| 12 | Ennead Architects | $61,301 | $29.47 |
| 13 | Steelman Partners | $61,294 | $29.47 |
| 14 | bKL Architecture | $60,793 | $29.23 |
| 15 | Perkins&Will | $60,784 | $29.22 |
| 16 | KieranTimberlake | $60,777 | $29.22 |
| 17 | Bloom Energy | $60,727 | $29.20 |
| 18 | Arquitectonica | $60,719 | $29.19 |
| 19 | Nelsen Partners | $60,713 | $29.19 |
| 20 | Perkins Eastman | $60,691 | $29.18 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Architectural Internship salary by industry
The average architectural internship salary varies across industries:
- The average architectural internship salary in the professional industry is $58,087, the highest of any industry.
- The average architectural internship salary in the finance industry is $56,442.
- Architectural interns in the real estate industry earn an average salary of $55,293, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for architectural interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $58,087 | $27.93 |
| 2 | Construction | $56,442 | $27.14 |
| 3 | Technology | $55,786 | $26.82 |
| 4 | Real Estate | $55,293 | $26.58 |
High paying architectural internship jobs
Architectural internship salary trends
The average architectural internship salary has risen by $9,611 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average architectural internship earned $44,303 annually, but today, they earn $53,914 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for architectural interns over the last decade.
Compare architectural internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average architectural internship salary over time
Compare architectural internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Architectural internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,900 | $25.92 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $52,800 | $25.40 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | $51,500 | $24.76 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $49,600 | $23.83 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $48,400 | $23.28 | +1.8% |
Recently added architectural internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | Architectural Engineering Intern-Summer 2025 | Somers Point, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $39,653 |
| About Handel Architects Handel Architects | Architectural Intern | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $52,175 |
| PBK Architects | Collegiate Architectural Intern | Rancho Viejo, TX | 06/26/2025 | $44,000 |
| Wolff/Lang/Christopher Architects | Collegiate Architectural Intern | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 06/25/2025 | $44,000 |
| Tenstorrent University | AI Hardware Architecture Intern | Austin, TX | 06/22/2025 | $104,350 |
| Real Equity Management | Architectural Design Intern | Columbia, MO | 06/12/2025 | $31,305 |
| The Miller Hull Partnership LLP | Architecture Internship | Seattle, WA | 06/11/2025 | $52,175 |
| Oma New York | Internship Architecture-Fall 2025 | Fine, NY | 06/07/2025 | $43,888 |
| Samsung Research America Internship | 2025 Fall Intern, CPU Performance Architect | Mountain View, CA | 06/03/2025 | $91,828 |
| Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | Architectural Engineering Intern-Summer 2025 | Somers Point, NJ | 05/28/2025 | $39,653 |
Architectural internship salary FAQs
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