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The differences between project architects and principals, architectural firms can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a project architect and a principal, architectural firm. Additionally, a principal, architectural firm has an average salary of $120,913, which is higher than the $76,812 average annual salary of a project architect.
The top three skills for a project architect include revit, autocad and sketch. The most important skills for a principal, architectural firm are business development, enterprise architecture, and as-built drawings.
| Project Architect | Principal, Architectural Firm | |
| Yearly salary | $76,812 | $120,913 |
| Hourly rate | $36.93 | $58.13 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 82,192 | 42,091 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Project architects and principals, architectural firms have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Architect | Principal, Architectural Firm | |
| Average salary | $76,812 | $120,913 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $110,000 | Between $73,000 And $197,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Western Alliance Bank | - |
| Best paying industry | Construction | - |
There are a few differences between a project architect and a principal, architectural firm in terms of educational background:
| Project Architect | Principal, Architectural Firm | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Architecture |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between project architects' and principals, architectural firms' demographics:
| Project Architect | Principal, Architectural Firm | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1% | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 16.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.3% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |