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Principal architect salary
Average principal architect salary
$133,276
Understanding Principal Architect Salaries
A Principal Architect plays a pivotal role in the design and execution of architectural projects, significantly impacting the built environment. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is approximately $133,276 per year. Factors influencing salary include geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works.
Salary Variability by State
For instance, salaries may vary significantly by state, with some regions offering higher compensation due to demand for skilled professionals. States like California and New York often provide higher pay scales, reflecting the cost of living and demand for architectural services.
Career Advancement Opportunities
As individuals gain experience and develop their portfolios, opportunities for advancement into senior leadership roles arise. Principal Architects can also explore specialized areas such as sustainable design or urban planning, which may further enhance their earning potential. By understanding the salary landscape and factors at play, aspiring architects can make informed career decisions.
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Where can a Principal Architect earn more?
Principal architect salary estimates from across the web
Average principal architect salary by state
The highest-paying states for principal architects are California, Washington, and Alaska. The lowest average principal architect salary states are Kentucky, Montana, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal architects
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $136,553 | $65.65 |
| 2 | California | $163,641 | $78.67 |
| 3 | Nevada | $143,637 | $69.06 |
| 4 | Washington | $157,432 | $75.69 |
| 5 | Idaho | $132,422 | $63.66 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $131,609 | $63.27 |
| 7 | Alaska | $150,851 | $72.52 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $130,660 | $62.82 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $135,023 | $64.91 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $136,922 | $65.83 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $122,451 | $58.87 |
| 12 | Virginia | $127,625 | $61.36 |
| 13 | Arizona | $124,119 | $59.67 |
| 14 | New York | $132,629 | $63.76 |
| 15 | Texas | $121,995 | $58.65 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $131,294 | $63.12 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $122,073 | $58.69 |
| 18 | Utah | $120,610 | $57.99 |
| 19 | Maryland | $128,362 | $61.71 |
| 20 | Vermont | $119,996 | $57.69 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $127,605 | $61.35 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $119,659 | $57.53 |
| 23 | Florida | $122,464 | $58.88 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $125,614 | $60.39 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $118,168 | $56.81 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $117,096 | $56.30 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $119,384 | $57.40 |
| 28 | Delaware | $122,889 | $59.08 |
| 29 | Michigan | $118,940 | $57.18 |
| 30 | Illinois | $116,052 | $55.79 |
| 31 | Georgia | $115,674 | $55.61 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $112,048 | $53.87 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $114,140 | $54.88 |
| 34 | Colorado | $114,502 | $55.05 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $114,261 | $54.93 |
| 36 | Kansas | $112,674 | $54.17 |
| 37 | Ohio | $109,433 | $52.61 |
| 38 | Iowa | $113,708 | $54.67 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $119,533 | $57.47 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $111,274 | $53.50 |
| 41 | Montana | $107,950 | $51.90 |
| 42 | Indiana | $109,466 | $52.63 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $107,954 | $51.90 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $110,865 | $53.30 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $112,207 | $53.95 |
| 46 | Missouri | $108,645 | $52.23 |
| 47 | Maine | $109,198 | $52.50 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $105,712 | $50.82 |
| 49 | Alabama | $106,736 | $51.32 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $102,384 | $49.22 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $102,381 | $49.22 |
Highest paying cities for principal architects
The highest-paying cities for principal architects are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Carson City, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $176,236 | $84.73 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $160,261 | $77.05 |
| 3 | Carson City, NV | $151,524 | $72.85 |
| 4 | Salem, OR | $137,137 | $65.93 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $135,162 | $64.98 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $132,826 | $63.86 |
| 7 | Bismarck, ND | $131,812 | $63.37 |
| 8 | Annapolis, MD | $128,435 | $61.75 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | $127,587 | $61.34 |
| 10 | Trenton, NJ | $127,434 | $61.27 |
| 11 | Jackson, MS | $125,683 | $60.42 |
| 12 | Phoenix, AZ | $124,421 | $59.82 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $122,803 | $59.04 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $122,514 | $58.90 |
| 15 | Providence, RI | $122,411 | $58.85 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $120,112 | $57.75 |
| 17 | Lansing, MI | $118,407 | $56.93 |
| 18 | Concord, NH | $118,085 | $56.77 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $117,653 | $56.56 |
| 20 | Chicago, IL | $116,249 | $55.89 |
Principal architect salary details
A principal architect's salary ranges from $97,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $181,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal architect's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $181,000 | $15,083 | $87 |
| 75th Percentile | $157,000 | $13,083 | $75 |
| Average | $133,276 | $11,106 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| 10th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
Highest paying principal architect jobs
The highest paying types of principal architects are chief architect, senior solutions architect, and senior data architect.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Data Warehouse Architect | $110,771 | $9,231 | $53.26 | 183,223 |
| Systems Architect | $103,764 | $8,647 | $49.89 | 232,582 |
| Lead Solution Architect | $118,052 | $9,838 | $56.76 | 90,106 |
| Information Technology Architect | $116,007 | $9,667 | $55.77 | 156,730 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
Top companies hiring principal architects now:
Which companies pay principal architects the most?
Principal architect salaries at Google and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal architect salary at companies like NVIDIA and Dotdash are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $213,880 | $102.83 | |
| 2 | PayPal | $191,192 | $91.92 |
| 3 | NVIDIA | $190,486 | $91.58 |
| 4 | Dotdash | $185,300 | $89.09 |
| 5 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $185,003 | $88.94 |
| 6 | World Fuel Services | $181,874 | $87.44 |
| 7 | Adobe | $180,374 | $86.72 |
| 8 | Safeway | $179,837 | $86.46 |
| 9 | First Republic Bank | $178,439 | $85.79 |
| 10 | Automation Anywhere | $178,379 | $85.76 |
| 11 | Microsoft | $177,294 | $85.24 |
| 12 | SiFive | $176,332 | $84.78 |
| 13 | Cloudian | $174,713 | $84.00 |
| 14 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $174,445 | $83.87 |
| 15 | Whitepages | $173,428 | $83.38 |
| 16 | Intuit | $172,606 | $82.98 |
| 17 | Citi | $171,575 | $82.49 |
| 18 | Nike | $171,248 | $82.33 |
| 19 | DocuSign | $170,497 | $81.97 |
| 20 | New Relic | $170,422 | $81.93 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal architect salary trends
The average principal architect salary has risen by $21,817 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal architect earned $111,459 annually, but today, they earn $133,276 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for principal architects over the last decade.
Compare principal architect salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal architect salary over time
Compare principal architect salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal architect salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $64.07 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $129,000 | $61.96 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $126,000 | $60.56 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $124,000 | $59.38 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $121,000 | $58.04 | +1.5% |
Recently added principal architect salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutterhealth | Principal Architect, Cloud, Data, and Analytics | Sacramento, CA | 06/30/2025 | $157,464 |
| Fractal Analytics | Principal Architect | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $150,000 |
| Ntrs | Principal Architect | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $137,400 |
| Servicenow | Principal Workflow Architect | Vienna, VA | 06/29/2025 | $162,600 |
| Bass Pro Shops | Principal Architect-Information Technology | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $137,275 |
| Ual-Pro | Principal Architect-Information Technology | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $137,275 |
| Oracle | Master Principal Cloud Architect, Strategic Pursuits | Frankfort, KY | 06/28/2025 | $141,800 |
| Oracle | Master Principal Cloud Architect, Strategic Pursuits | Carson City, NV | 06/28/2025 | $141,800 |
| Oracle | Master Principal Cloud Architect, Strategic Pursuits | Saint Paul, MN | 06/28/2025 | $141,800 |
| Oracle | Master Principal Cloud Architect, Strategic Pursuits | Madison, WI | 06/28/2025 | $141,800 |
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