Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
How Much Do Computer Network Architects Make an Hour? (2026)
Computer Network Architects earn a median of $68.61 per hour as of 2026 — equal to $131,846 per year on a standard 2,080-hour work year, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data. Across U.S. metros, the median hourly wage ranges from $47.37 (lowest-paying metro) to $89.48 (highest-paying metro).
This page answers a common U.S. wage question: How Much Do Computer Network Architects Make an Hour? (2026). The answer draws on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — the federal survey that captures wages for over 800 occupations across every U.S. metropolitan area. Why BLS OEWS data is the right anchor: alternative wage sources (Glassdoor, levels.fyi, Payscale) are self-reported and skew toward specific roles, industries, or geographies. BLS OEWS is employer-reported, mandatory for businesses above the survey threshold, and uniformly applied across occupations and metros.
The detailed answer below uses the BLS numbers, explains how to read them, and translates the statistical detail into the worker-relevant interpretation of the question.
Annual median ÷ 2,080 hours, employment-weighted across U.S. metros
What the Hourly Figure Means
BLS publishes annual wages for most professional occupations; the hourly figure here is the BLS-standard conversion — annual wage divided by 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks). For salaried roles this is the implied hourly rate rather than a clock-punched one, but it is the right number for comparing across hourly and salaried jobs, estimating overtime-equivalent value, or sizing a contract or freelance rate. The hourly median ($68.61) is the wage at which half of computer network architects earn more per hour and half earn less.
Hourly pay rises with the same percentile bands as annual pay. Entry-level computer network architects (10th percentile) earn roughly $47.37–$68.61/hr at the low end, while the top 10% (90th percentile) clear well above the median. To see the full annual breakdown by experience band, see "How much do computer network architects make?" and the related percentile pages below.
Top-Paying Metros (Hourly)
| Metro | Hourly Pay |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $89.48 |
| Seattle, WA | $83.00 |
| San Francisco, CA | $80.17 |
| New York, NY | $78.37 |
| Greenville, SC | $77.49 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay variation for Computer Network Architects is meaningful but moderate — top metros pay roughly 1.9× the lowest, a $87,580 spread. Cost of living plus a modest premium for high-demand metros explains most of it.
Roughly 122,730 Computer Network Architects are employed across the metros tracked here — a sizable mid-tier occupation with reliable percentile data.
More Computer Network Architect Salary Answers
Each page answers a distinct pay question for this role — by experience band, hourly rate, and how the salary stacks up:
- Entry-level computer network architect salary →
- Junior computer network architect salary →
- How much do computer network architects make →
- Senior computer network architect salary →
- Top 10% computer network architect salary →
- Is computer network architect a good salary →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 69 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 15-1241. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do computer network architects make an hour?
Computer Network Architects earn a median of $68.61 per hour as of 2026, equal to $131,846 per year on a standard 2,080-hour work year (BLS OEWS). Hourly pay ranges from $47.37 to $89.48 across U.S. metros.
How is the hourly wage calculated from BLS data?
BLS publishes annual wages for most professional occupations. The hourly figure is the BLS-standard conversion: annual wage ÷ 2,080 hours (40 hours/week × 52 weeks). For salaried roles it is the implied hourly rate, which is the correct number for comparing across hourly and salaried jobs.
What is a good hourly rate for a computer network architect?
Anything at or above the $68.61 median is competitive. Entry-level computer network architects start lower and the top 10% earn well above the median — see the per-city table for where the highest hourly rates are.
Where do computer network architects earn the most per hour?
San Jose, CA has the highest median hourly wage for computer network architects at $89.48/hr, versus $47.37/hr in the lowest-paying tracked metro (Wichita, KS).
Where does this computer network architect hourly data come from?
Every figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes. Hourly wages are derived from the published annual figures using the BLS-standard 2,080 work-hour year.
Computer Network Architects earn a median of $68.61 per hour as of 2026 — equal to $131,846 per year on a standard 2,080-hour work year, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data. Across U.S. metros, the median hourly wage ranges from $47.37 (lowest-paying metro) to $89.48 (highest-paying metro).