Engineering · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Architect (2024)

The median Architect salary is $134,200 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Atlanta, GA offers the best purchasing power at $102,893 adjusted.

$97,963

National Median

$134,200

Highest City

$78,410

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$134,200	$81,180 – $220,720	195.8	$68,539	560
2	San Francisco, CA	$125,950	$73,740 – $224,610	179.6	$70,128	3,430
3	San Diego, CA	$118,410	$78,870 – $178,620	160.2	$73,914	1,450
4	Washington, DC	$106,120	$74,540 – $165,890	152.8	$69,450	3,080
5	Los Angeles, CA	$102,190	$61,890 – $161,740	166	$61,560	5,820
6	Atlanta, GA	$102,070	$64,080 – $207,940	99.2	$102,893	2,120
7	Boston, MA	$101,750	$77,570 – $173,060	152.1	$66,897	4,160
8	Philadelphia, PA	$100,370	$60,390 – $153,850	118.4	$84,772	2,360
9	Phoenix, AZ	$99,550	$64,210 – $134,090	100.7	$98,858	1,200
10	New York, NY	$98,870	$61,810 – $165,660	187.2	$52,815	10,800
11	Denver, CO	$98,630	$65,980 – $166,100	112.8	$87,438	2,650
12	Minneapolis, MN	$98,200	$62,500 – $154,000	106.2	$92,467	2,020
13	Seattle, WA	$98,120	$68,140 – $128,290	149.4	$65,676	3,730
14	Raleigh, NC	$97,450	$60,980 – $153,040	99.8	$97,645	690
15	Nashville, TN	$96,930	$62,630 – $140,900	100.3	$96,640	1,060
16	Portland, OR	$95,530	$61,270 – $126,230	130.1	$73,428	1,790
17	Austin, TX	$94,850	$59,420 – $153,550	103	$92,087	1,200
18	Dallas, TX	$93,870	$66,210 – $139,140	104.1	$90,173	2,720
19	Miami, FL	$92,840	$64,020 – $138,820	123.1	$75,418	1,760
20	Charlotte, NC	$86,530	$63,190 – $161,300	96.7	$89,483	1,260
21	Salt Lake City, UT	$84,810	$47,800 – $152,620	101.4	$83,639	900
22	Detroit, MI	$83,800	$57,440 – $138,360	95.1	$88,118	1,560
23	Tampa, FL	$80,380	$51,860 – $134,910	99.6	$80,703	800
24	Chicago, IL	$79,240	$58,840 – $126,470	107.3	$73,849	4,920
25	Houston, TX	$78,410	$58,990 – $138,020	96.5	$81,254	2,130

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Architect paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Atlanta, GA	$102,893	$102,070	99.2
2	Phoenix, AZ	$98,858	$99,550	100.7
3	Raleigh, NC	$97,645	$97,450	99.8
4	Nashville, TN	$96,640	$96,930	100.3
5	Minneapolis, MN	$92,467	$98,200	106.2
6	Austin, TX	$92,087	$94,850	103
7	Dallas, TX	$90,173	$93,870	104.1
8	Charlotte, NC	$89,483	$86,530	96.7
9	Detroit, MI	$88,118	$83,800	95.1
10	Denver, CO	$87,438	$98,630	112.8
11	Philadelphia, PA	$84,772	$100,370	118.4
12	Salt Lake City, UT	$83,639	$84,810	101.4
13	Houston, TX	$81,254	$78,410	96.5
14	Tampa, FL	$80,703	$80,380	99.6
15	Miami, FL	$75,418	$92,840	123.1
16	San Diego, CA	$73,914	$118,410	160.2
17	Chicago, IL	$73,849	$79,240	107.3
18	Portland, OR	$73,428	$95,530	130.1
19	San Francisco, CA	$70,128	$125,950	179.6
20	Washington, DC	$69,450	$106,120	152.8
21	San Jose, CA	$68,539	$134,200	195.8
22	Boston, MA	$66,897	$101,750	152.1
23	Seattle, WA	$65,676	$98,120	149.4
24	Los Angeles, CA	$61,560	$102,190	166
25	New York, NY	$52,815	$98,870	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Architect salary at $134,200. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Atlanta, GA offers the most purchasing power at $102,893 adjusted.

The national median Architect salary is $97,963 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $78,410 to $134,200 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.