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Job outlook for knowledge architects in the United States
Are knowledge architect jobs in demand?
Knowledge architect job and salary trends over time
Knowledge architect jobs over time
Knowledge architect job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 125 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 129 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 132 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 130 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 128 | 0.00% |
Average knowledge architect salary over time
Knowledge architect salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $115,265 | $55.42 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $113,067 | $54.36 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $111,148 | $53.44 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $109,874 | $52.82 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $107,718 | $51.79 | +1.1% |
Knowledge architect jobs by state
Most common states for knowledge architects
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 268 | 39% |
| 2 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 549 | 18% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 190 | 18% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 134 | 18% |
| 5 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 284 | 17% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 81 | 14% |
| 7 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,618 | 13% |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,221 | 12% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 854 | 12% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 662 | 12% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 660 | 12% |
| 12 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 443 | 12% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 155 | 12% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 118 | 12% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,117 | 11% |
| 16 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 973 | 11% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 183 | 10% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,121 | 9% |
| 19 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 634 | 9% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 67 | 9% |
Most common cities for knowledge architects
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 3 | 8% | $97,236 |
Knowledge Architect job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of knowledge architect experts
University of Florida
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
SUNY at Buffalo
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
University of Idaho
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Seminole State College of Florida
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Charleston
What general advice would you give to a Knowledge Architect?
Martin Gold FAIA: The most widespread complaint from people in the field is that it consumes ones attention, requires long hours, and relative to other professions, such as medicine, law, accounting, or engineering, the pay is lower on a per hour basis. On the other hand, architecture is more of an art than other professions and offers opportunities for creative people to have prosperous careers. The famous French architect Le Corbusier would say, architecture is a way of life.
What Knowledge Architect skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Grant Mosey Ph.D.: I would advise architecture students to be as flexible as possible. While NAAB accredited schools award 6,000 to 7,000 professional degrees per year, NCARB states that fewer than 3,500 architects reach licensure each year. This suggests that many of those educated as architects are actually finding work in allied subjects. I know of many graduates who are set to become architects who end up becoming real estate professionals, construction professionals, policy-makers, academics, and more. Even for those dead set on architectural practice, these opportunities in adjacent fields can open doors to more design-focused practice.
What general advice would you give to a Knowledge Architect?
Elaine Chow AIA, RA, NCARB: Adaptability will always be an important skill. There will be software improvements and changes that you need to stay aware of and technology that will benefit both the design and construction sides of the industry. Communication will remain an important part of the way we work together in teams.
What will help Knowledge Architects increase their earning potential?
Elaine Chow AIA, RA, NCARB: Continue being a student throughout your career since learning never stops, especially in architecture where the knowledge is vast and first-hand experience is valuable. There are many facets to the architecture profession, when first graduating try to explore different roles to see what interests you and challenges you best.
What general advice would you give to a Knowledge Architect?
Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez: It is important for recent graduates to recognize that Architecture is no longer limited to the physical realm, as transformative technologies are providing interesting career opportunities in the digital realm as well. This rapidly evolving context offers many opportunities and new directions for the discipline and remaining (or becoming!) current in new developments in computing power, digital visuals, manufacturing technologies, and robotics, are ways in which a recent graduate can secure a good paying job.
What Knowledge Architect skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez: Globally, there is significant demand for architects who are facile in the use of transformative technologies that support designers to generate and evaluate innovative ideas to provide solutions in a rapidly changing environment. Needless to say, being extremely competent in the many applications of Building Information Modeling (BIM), Extended Reality (XR), Generative Design, and Sustainability, will make new graduates effective at a time in which the profession and the world are rapidly transforming.
Randall Randall
Program Head Architecture, ProfessorUniversity of Idaho
Architecture Department
What skills stand out on Knowledge Architect resumes?
Randall Randall: Diversity of creative work demonstrated in a portfolio.
What soft skills should all Knowledge Architects possess?
Randall Randall: Communication skills (both disciplinary and interpersonal); strong work ethic; reliability.
What skills will help Knowledge Architects earn the most?
Randall Randall: Strength in all of the above, i.e., being the "whole package."
Michael Brazley Ph.D.
Associate Professor of ArchitectureSouthern Illinois University Carbondale
School of Architecture
What Knowledge Architect skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Brazley Ph.D.: Architectural Graduates will have to have very strong computer skills; not just in drawing but in writing also. Graduates will need to know the latest software, and in many cases, help to introduce the latest software to their new companies. Students are learning to make 3D digital videos and virtual reality models.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Knowledge Architect job market given the pandemic?
James Shields: In mid-to-late 2020, some 70% of architecture firms saw a decline in billings due to Covid-19 impacts. Some architecture firms were hit worse than others; firms that designed office buildings, hospitality projects and cultural buildings fared poorly, and in general have not been hiring. Health care organizations and the architecture firms that service them have also been hit, although most firms have helped hospitals evaluate or design alternative Covid-care facilities.
Firms that design housing projects remained more stable and have continued to at least interview some job candidates. There has also been an increase in demand for master planning services of all kinds, as communities and businesses want to be prepared for the end of the pandemic and a return to more normal economic activity with a plan for expansion in place. Firms that design Science & Technology buildings, like university lab, science and health care teaching buildings, have also seen their workload remain stable and be less affected by the pandemic as many US States have continued to fund such projects.
School design firms have also done well, as many local districts have been able to pass referendums for new projects during the crisis, keeping their architects busy. There has also been a surprisingly strong turn towards interest in sustainable energy and infrastructure systems during the pandemic.
What skills stand out on Knowledge Architect resumes?
James Shields: Many interviews for architecture jobs remain online at the present time, so an ability to communicate via Zoom or Teams is vital. Looking professional on the small screen with an ability to show your work well are skills that can be practiced before an interview. Most architecture employees are currently working online from home, so knowledge of the essential digital architecture programs (like Revit, Bluebeam, Sketchup, et al) is currently very important. On resumes and in portfolios, any experience in the architecture sectors that have remained relatively stable (Housing, Master Planning, Science & Tech, Schools, sustainable infrastructure) should be emphasized. If you have no such experience, read up on current trends in these practice areas online and find some that interest you. Conveying such an interest can go a long way.
Christy Graves
Professor/Program ManagerSeminole State College of Florida
School of Engineering, Design and Construction
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Knowledge Architect job market given the pandemic?
Christy Graves: From what I've seen, I believe job opportunities will continue to be available for architectural technology engineering graduates. While many industries have suffered from layoffs and unemployment during this pandemic, it seems that the built environment is still going strong. I think one of the biggest changes we may see is that once the pandemic is over, many employees are going to work remotely full-time, or the amount of time that was previously spent in the office environment will decrease.
What experience really stands out on Knowledge Architect resumes?
Christy Graves: Software skills, such as AutoCAD and Revit.
Clyde Eiríkur Hull
Professor of Strategic ManagementRochester Institute of Technology
Saunders College of Business
What type of skills will young Knowledge Architects need?
Clyde Eiríkur Hull: Graduates entering the workforce now and in the future will need to be comfortable in a digital workplace. Working digitally, whether in an established company or as a digital entrepreneur, was a growing trend before the pandemic, but it was pushing against a lot of inertia. That inertia has switched. Anything that works better, for the employer, digitally instead of in person is going to stay. Even if you aren't working remotely, you'll deal with many people who are. Graduates will need to be more capable of independent work, whether in virtual teams or on their own. But at the same time, interpersonal skills are going to become more important. People aren't interacting as much as they did, so their human skills are rusting. Anyone with polished interpersonal skills is going to stand out more.
How do you envision technology impacting Knowledge Architects in the next 5 years?
Clyde Eiríkur Hull: Architecture is being hit with virtual reality and augmented reality. Anything you can design now can be built in virtual reality for modeling. But the trend toward digital work is going to impact architectural designs for a long time to come. How will future homes be designed when many residents plan to work from home? How will professional buildings be impacted? Those are questions that architects are answering right now.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Knowledge Architects in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Barry Stiefel Ph.D.: No one (except for maybe Steve Jobs) foresaw the Smartphone Revolution. Yet, by 2010 the world had changed. Five years from now (2025), there could be another new technology that we have not even imagined previously.
My suggestion is to try to be aware, as much as possible, of the latest and upcoming tech but focus on a specific set (or two) of hardware and software that most interests you. When I was younger, I tried staying on top of it all but quickly found that so much was coming out so fast that soon I spent all my time just trying to be on top of it all and unable to do much else. Technology has become so vast and diversified that to be good at something, you may not be able to do it all.
Professional and social networking can create professional communities where people who specialize in one set or two of technology or skills can share and exchange knowledge and expertise with colleagues and friends that complement each other. This is a strategy that I recommend.