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The average salary for a Software Applications Architect in the United States is $117,352 per year. This figure translates to approximately $56 per hour. Salaries can differ based on experience, with entry-level positions starting at lower rates, while seasoned architects can command significantly higher pay.
Geographic location greatly impacts earnings. States such as California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for tech talent. Cities like San Francisco and New York City are among the highest-paying locations.
Years of experience, industry sector, and specific technical skills also contribute to salary variations. Architects working in finance or healthcare may see salaries above the average, reflecting the specialized knowledge required in these fields. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths.
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The average software applications architect salary in Washington, California, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software applications architect salary states are Kansas, Iowa, and West Virginia.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $145,533 | $69.97 |
| 2 | Oregon | $134,228 | $64.53 |
| 3 | California | $142,605 | $68.56 |
| 4 | Utah | $124,780 | $59.99 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $132,563 | $63.73 |
| 6 | Idaho | $126,460 | $60.80 |
| 7 | Nevada | $130,704 | $62.84 |
| 8 | Texas | $118,305 | $56.88 |
| 9 | Arizona | $124,271 | $59.75 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $120,964 | $58.16 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $117,616 | $56.55 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $120,419 | $57.89 |
| 13 | Colorado | $118,033 | $56.75 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $122,745 | $59.01 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $110,024 | $52.90 |
| 16 | Delaware | $114,780 | $55.18 |
| 17 | Georgia | $113,184 | $54.42 |
| 18 | Virginia | $112,982 | $54.32 |
| 19 | Maine | $113,853 | $54.74 |
| 20 | Illinois | $111,855 | $53.78 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $113,225 | $54.44 |
| 22 | Vermont | $108,198 | $52.02 |
| 23 | Missouri | $109,580 | $52.68 |
| 24 | Indiana | $106,772 | $51.33 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $107,641 | $51.75 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $110,495 | $53.12 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $105,651 | $50.79 |
| 28 | Michigan | $106,679 | $51.29 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $106,644 | $51.27 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $106,959 | $51.42 |
| 31 | Maryland | $105,833 | $50.88 |
| 32 | Alabama | $105,707 | $50.82 |
| 33 | New York | $107,045 | $51.46 |
| 34 | Montana | $104,843 | $50.41 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $103,616 | $49.82 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $102,517 | $49.29 |
| 37 | Ohio | $103,675 | $49.84 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $105,877 | $50.90 |
| 39 | Alaska | $111,917 | $53.81 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $105,041 | $50.50 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $102,184 | $49.13 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $101,216 | $48.66 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $101,881 | $48.98 |
| 44 | Kansas | $101,052 | $48.58 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $102,351 | $49.21 |
| 46 | Florida | $102,987 | $49.51 |
| 47 | Iowa | $99,909 | $48.03 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $95,049 | $45.70 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $96,536 | $46.41 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $97,177 | $46.72 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $94,685 | $45.52 |
The highest-paying cities for software applications architects are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $149,077 | $71.67 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $146,488 | $70.43 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $124,693 | $59.95 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $121,176 | $58.26 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $118,707 | $57.07 |
| 6 | Colorado Springs, CO | $118,586 | $57.01 |
| 7 | Alpharetta, GA | $113,272 | $54.46 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $111,954 | $53.82 |
| 9 | New York, NY | $107,282 | $51.58 |
| 10 | Detroit, MI | $106,952 | $51.42 |
| 11 | Fort Lee, NJ | $106,769 | $51.33 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City, OK | $105,351 | $50.65 |
| 13 | Bozeman, MT | $104,999 | $50.48 |
| 14 | Cincinnati, OH | $103,165 | $49.60 |
| 15 | Charlotte, NC | $101,942 | $49.01 |
A software applications architect's salary ranges from $88,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $155,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $155,000 | $12,917 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| Average | $117,352 | $9,779 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
The highest paying types of software applications architects are principal software engineer, software engineer lead, and senior systems software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Developer | $116,340 | $9,695 | $55.93 | 274,208 |
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
Top companies hiring software applications architects now:
Software applications architect salaries at NVIDIA and Wind River are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software applications architect salary at companies like Salesforce and Intel are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVIDIA | $156,666 | $75.32 |
| 2 | Wind River | $141,076 | $67.83 |
| 3 | Salesforce | $134,064 | $64.45 |
| 4 | Intel | $133,319 | $64.10 |
| 5 | NBCUniversal | $132,685 | $63.79 |
| 6 | Nexteer Automotive | $128,165 | $61.62 |
| 7 | Alight Solutions | $123,756 | $59.50 |
| 8 | Mitchell Martin | $122,227 | $58.76 |
| 9 | CNH Industrial | $121,336 | $58.33 |
| 10 | WebPT | $121,043 | $58.19 |
| 11 | News America Marketing | $120,845 | $58.10 |
| 12 | VI Engineering | $120,541 | $57.95 |
| 13 | Capgemini | $119,603 | $57.50 |
| 14 | Cogent Communications | $119,474 | $57.44 |
| 15 | General Motors | $117,591 | $56.53 |
| 16 | Dart Container | $116,573 | $56.04 |
| 17 | HP | $116,034 | $55.79 |
| 18 | Pearson | $115,815 | $55.68 |
| 19 | S&P Global | $115,200 | $55.38 |
| 20 | DaVita Kidney Care | $109,752 | $52.77 |
The average software applications architect salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $152,691 | $73.41 |
| 2 | Retail | $123,010 | $59.14 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $121,289 | $58.31 |
| 4 | Technology | $119,599 | $57.50 |
| 5 | Professional | $110,355 | $53.06 |
| 6 | Finance | $94,428 | $45.40 |
The average software applications architect salary has risen by $21,786 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software applications architect earned $95,566 annually, but today, they earn $117,352 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software applications architects over the last decade.
Compare software applications architect salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare software applications architect salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $117,000 | $56.42 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $113,000 | $54.56 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $111,000 | $53.32 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $109,000 | $52.38 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $107,000 | $51.50 | +1.8% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | Foundry Automation Software Application Architect | Phoenix, AZ | 06/25/2025 | $155,920 |
| Polaris Industries | Software Application Architect (Remote) | Medina, MN | 06/01/2025 | $140,000 |
| Unisys Corporation | Engineering Software Application & Architect | Blue Bell, PA | 03/07/2025 | $115,000 |
| Innova Solutions Inc. | MD_ Application Architect V_Oracle-It/Software Development | Thousand Oaks, CA | 02/19/2025 | $54,262 |
| Remote Front | Software Architect-Java Applications | Boston, MA | 02/17/2025 | $180,000 |
| Savvy, Inc. | Plm/Mdm SR. Software Application Architect Lensa ⋅ Charleston, WV Interested | Charleston, WV | 02/17/2025 | $156 |
| National Mentor LLC | Software Applications Architect | Cumming, GA | 02/06/2025 | $150,000 |
| Intel | Plm/Mdm SR. Software Application Architect | Santa Fe, NM | 01/31/2025 | $155,920 |
| Intel | Plm/Mdm SR. Software Application Architect | Trenton, NJ | 01/31/2025 | $155,920 |
| Intel | Plm/Mdm SR. Software Application Architect | Albany, NY | 01/31/2025 | $155,920 |
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