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The differences between staff architects and architectural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a staff architect, becoming an architectural designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a staff architect has an average salary of $74,065, which is higher than the $59,122 average annual salary of an architectural designer.
The top three skills for a staff architect include java, revit and conceptual development. The most important skills for an architectural designer are sketch, sketchup, and BIM.
| Staff Architect | Architectural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,065 | $59,122 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $28.42 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 144,134 | 54,358 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A Staff Architect is responsible for developing conceptual designs, preparing construction documents, and providing assistance and consultation to clients on architectural problems. They also help senior architects with various tasks.
An Architectural Designer is specialized in planning and designing structures/urban landscapes. They ensure that company policies and standards are maintained when providing services to clients.
Staff architects and architectural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Architect | Architectural Designer | |
| Average salary | $74,065 | $59,122 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $114,000 | Between $45,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Vermont |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a staff architect and an architectural designer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Architect | Architectural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Architecture |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between staff architects' and architectural designers' demographics:
| Staff Architect | Architectural Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 16.1% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 6% |