Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Architect Salary in Baltimore, MD
Engineering · SOC 17-1011 · COL Index 114.2
Architects in Baltimore, MD earn a median salary of $115,960 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $68,770 to $181,280. The mean is $120,710 across approximately 1,140 workers. Adjusted for Baltimore, MD's cost-of-living index of 114.2, the median equates to $101,541 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Architect in Baltimore, MD pays modestly above the national median: $115,960 versus $99,726 nationally, roughly 16% above.
Cost-of-living in Baltimore, MD runs at index 114.2, above the national baseline. The cost-adjusted median works out to about $101,541 in national-baseline dollars. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $87,646, $115,960, $148,620, $181,280. 1,140 Architect workers are documented in Baltimore, MD per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $68,770 | $60,219 |
| 25th Percentile | $87,646 | $76,748 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $115,960 | $101,541 |
| 75th Percentile | $148,620 | $130,140 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $181,280 | $158,739 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile for Architects in Baltimore, MD is unusually wide — top earners take home roughly 2.6× what the bottom decile earns. That signals a long career ladder: substantial pay gains accrue with seniority, specialization, and movement to larger employers. Workers entering this role should expect to start near the 25th percentile and target the median by year three to five.
Baltimore, MD's cost-of-living index of 114.2 sits close to the U.S. average — $115,960 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Baltimore, MD ranks #6 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Architect pay — in the top quartile nationally (top 9%). Markets in this band tend to be major regional employer hubs even when they are not the absolute highest-cost cities.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $148,620 for Architects in Baltimore, MD — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($181,280) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($87,646–$115,960) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($115,960–$148,620) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($148,620–$181,280).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Baltimore, MD percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 17-1011 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Architect salary in Baltimore, MD?
Architects in Baltimore, MD earn a median salary of $115,960 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $120,710 across roughly 1,140 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Architects in Baltimore, MD?
Pay ranges from $68,770 at the 10th percentile to $181,280 at the 90th percentile — a $112,510 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($87,646 to $148,620) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $115,960 a good Architect salary in Baltimore, MD?
$115,960 is the BLS median — half of Architects in Baltimore, MD earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($87,646), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($148,620). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $101,541.
How does Architect pay in Baltimore, MD compare to other metros?
Baltimore, MD ranks #6 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Architect median pay. It sits in the top quartile of U.S. metros for this role.
Where does this Architect salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Baltimore, MD MSA, SOC 17-1011, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 1,140 Architects tracked in Baltimore, MD.