How much does an Architect make? – Architect Salary 2013

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Architect Salary 2013
I know you have been dying to know this, so today I might be able to clarify it a bit for you. Maybe you heard that being an Architect is a professional career and you will be rich, or maybe you have heard the opposite that you will be living in poverty as an Architect. Well, both might be true, depending on your situation. Unlike many careers where there is a set range for your level and occupation, Architects can work in so many different avenues, ranging from project types to firm sizes, the amount Architects make varies wildly. Thankfully there are different resources we can use to get a gauge on what to expect and how much Architects make.
More than money
Before we get into the facts and figures of an Architect's salary, we have to first ask the question, "Why does it matter?" I have been a part of many career day's with high school students, and salary is almost always the first question that is asked. The usual response is that it doesn't matter what you make so long as you are happy, which for the most part is true, but I feel that it does still matter. It matters because you don't want to be so idealistic that you get taken advantage of, and you definitely don't want to starve. We have become so afraid to talk about money in our profession that it has almost become a dirty word. Of course you want make money, but that comes as a side-benefit to being able to do the work you love. I heard this quote recently from Walt Disney and I think it totally applies to architecture as well, "We don't make movies to make more money, we make money to make more movies." Stop right now. Re-read that. It's important to the discussion. We do what we do as Architects not to become rich, but rather to allow us to do it more. If you want to become an Architect, you need to understand this now.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics
So back to the topic, the first place to visit for factual data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics administered by the US Department of Labor, they have data on the "Occupational Outlook". According to their website, the 2010 Median Pay is $72,550 per year, or $34.88 per hour. Delving a little further, they state that the lowest 10% earned less than $42,860, while the highest 10% earned more than $119,000. That's a pretty big range there, so where would you fall into? Unfortunately for these purposes, architecture is such a varied profession and it depends on a multitude of factors. What size firm do you work at, what type of projects do they do, where in the country are you? These are all factors that make up the wide variance.
Comparison
Before we get into the different factor, let take a look at other occupations for comparison purpose. Unlike Architects, Engineers are broken down by the BLS by the type of engineering they do. Civil Engineers have a median pay of $77,560, while Mechanical Engineers are nearly the same at $78,160. Now let's look at some other professional, non-architecture occupations. Lawyers are at $112,760, Dentists are at $146,920, and Physicians come in at $166,400. As you can see by the comparisons, Architects are on par with peers in the industry (Engineers), but well below "other professionals" outside of architecture. So if money is critically important to you, maybe you should look into those other occupations.

Bear in mind however, that these numbers are for licensed professionals, so they mean to say that Licensed Architects and Professional Engineers, and actual Doctors make that amount of money, and doesn't take into account what level you are at before you become licensed. When you first get out of college, I guarantee you will not be making $72,550 as an Architectural Intern. Depending on the level of responsibility you have, your pay varies greatly.
AIA Compensation Report - 2013
With the variance in positions, firms, location, etc, it is time to start looking at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Compensation Report which indicates an Architect salary 2013. This report was published this year and is based on a survey they sent out to 10,059 architecture firms and the 1,023 responses. This is not meant to be an all inclusive list, but what is spectacular about it is when you look at this article in Architect magazine that breaks it down. According to the report, an Architect I, or newly licensed Architect, averages $59,700 in the country. If you take that same Architect and look at it by region, you will find that in the New England area, they may make $64,700 and in the Mountain region, make $51,700. Following the same Architect, you find that in a small firm of less than 5 employees, they would actually make $53,300 and in a large firm of 250 employees plus, $64,900. You can do the same exercise for all levels including Intern I, or zero years experience, for your particular situation and find where you should be. What this shows us is a bit of a clearer picture to how much money an Architect should make based on their firm size, experience level and location, which is much more helpful.
Take away
I want to close by reiterating that for most of us, we don't do architecture because we hope to become ridiculously wealthy, and if you get into the profession hoping for that, you might want to consider another path. I do architecture because I love what I do and I know that I can make a difference in peoples lives, while still getting paid comfortably to do it. We may not make as much as lawyers or doctors, but I wouldn't want to do their job anyways, because I am happy with my chosen profession. So with that being said, how much does an Architect make? Enough to be able to keep doing Architecture.

How much money do you need to be able to keep doing what you love. Take an inventory of all of the things you now, or eventually will have bills for. Rent/Mortgage, utilities, groceries, entertainment, student loans, etc. and find out what you need to live comfortably. Would an Architects salary cover all of that? Do you need a higher paying salary, or do you need to cut back? These are all things you should know ahead of time before jumping into being an Architect. Let me know in the comments whether an Architects salary comes anywhere near what you need.

This information and much more is now available in the Beginner's Guide: How to Become an Architect!

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