An Architect I's salary isn't a fixed number.
It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Architect Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of an Architect I's salary.
As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases.
Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Architect I (0-2 years): $62,495
Architect II (2-4 years): $75,896
Architect III (4-7 years): $93,512
Architect IV (7+ years): $111,882
Architect V (7-10 years): $131,605
Job Role
Years of Experience
Average Salary
Architect I
0-2 years
$62,495
Architect II
2-4 years
$75,896
Architect III
4-7 years
$93,512
Architect IV
7+ years
$111,882
Architect V
7-10 years
$131,605
$62,495Architect...
$75,896Architect...
$93,512Architect...
$111,882Architect...
$131,605Architect...
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do Architect I Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work.
States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors
often pay more to attract Architect Is.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $78,825
San Francisco: $77,962
Oakland: $76,319
San Jose, CA$78,825
San Francisco, CA$77,962
Oakland, CA$76,319
New York, NY$71,956
Paramus, NJ$71,081
Queens Village, NY$71,078
Passaic, NJ$71,019
Bergenfield, NJ$71,013
Stamford, CT$70,876
Huntington, NY$70,850
Newark, NJ$70,388
Bridgeport, CT$70,256
Vallejo, CA$70,132
New Brunswick, NJ$70,107
Petaluma, CA$70,069
Middlesex, NJ$69,951
Somerset, NJ$69,907
Santa Cruz, CA$69,826
Boston, MA$69,444
Monterey, CA$69,225
Seattle, WA$69,082
Santa Rosa, CA$69,069
Los Angeles, CA$69,051
Juneau, AK$68,888
Washington, DC$68,819
Orange, CA$68,597
Santa Ana, CA$68,432
Long Beach, CA$68,370
Anaheim, CA$68,357
Anchorage, AK$68,326
Santa Maria, CA$68,138
Everett, WA$68,126
Danbury, CT$67,906
Bremerton, WA$67,820
Tacoma, WA$67,595
New Suffolk, NY$67,593
Sacramento, CA$67,576
Santa Barbara, CA$67,507
Trenton, NJ$67,438
San Diego, CA$67,438
Brockton, MA$67,370
Fairbanks, AK$67,216
Lompoc, CA$67,057
Lowell, MA$67,007
Ventura, CA$66,995
Nashua, NH$66,982
Stockton, CA$66,976
Modesto, CA$66,520
Poughkeepsie, NY$66,382
Olympia, WA$66,263
Kennewick, WA$66,263
New Haven, CT$66,238
Lawrence, MA$66,013
Hartford, CT$65,951
Riverside, CA$65,938
New Bedford, MA$65,876
Richland, WA$65,876
Bakersfield, CA$65,788
San Bernardino, CA$65,763
New Britain, CT$65,757
Atlantic City, NJ$65,757
New London, CT$65,732
Norwich, CT$65,713
Portsmouth, NH$65,701
Boulder, CO$65,569
Portland, OR$65,482
Worcester, MA$65,476
Minneapolis, MN$65,282
Philadelphia, PA$65,195
Honolulu, HI$64,989
Saint Paul, MN$64,959
Vineland, NJ$64,945
Providence, RI$64,764
Chicago, IL$64,582
Bellingham, WA$64,507
Springfield, MA$64,457
Baltimore, MD$64,439
Chico, CA$64,282
Pittsfield, MA$64,114
Manchester, NH$63,995
Spokane, WA$63,720
Denver, CO$63,714
Albany, NY$63,420
Troy, NY$63,395
Nassau, NY$63,328
Schenectady, NY$63,264
Wilmington, DE$63,214
Burlington, VT$63,126
Salem, OR$63,101
Portland, ME$62,907
Yakima, WA$62,845
Rochester, MN$62,651
Reno, NV$62,620
Fresno, CA$62,620
Milwaukee, WI$62,564
Detroit, MI$62,501
Ann Arbor, MI$62,491
Allentown, PA$62,483
Colorado Springs, CO$62,376
Syracuse, NY$62,345
Carson City, NV$62,345
Houston, TX$62,258
Eugene, OR$62,226
Gary, IN$62,151
Springfield, OR$62,101
Bismarck, ND$62,089
Galveston, TX$62,045
Medford, OR$61,951
Fort Collins, CO$61,926
Concord, NH$61,895
Austin, TX$61,876
Mesa, AZ$61,745
Reading, PA$61,739
Phoenix, AZ$61,733
Dallas, TX$61,714
Saint Cloud, MN$61,654
Madison, WI$61,570
Utica, NY$61,401
Rochester, NY$61,301
Des Moines, IA$61,295
Raleigh, NC$61,289
Atlanta, GA$61,195
Battle Creek, MI$61,176
Salt Lake City, UT$61,158
Lancaster, PA$61,064
Harrisburg, PA$60,976
Kansas City, MO$60,914
Champaign, IL$60,901
Kansas City, KS$60,901
Fort Worth, TX$60,895
Columbus, OH$60,885
Boca Raton, FL$60,870
Pittsburgh, PA$60,845
Richmond, VA$60,820
Indianapolis, IN$60,808
Cleveland, OH$60,801
Las Vegas, NV$60,726
Cincinnati, OH$60,726
Petersburg, VA$60,633
Huntsville, AL$60,539
Lansing, MI$60,497
Lebanon, PA$60,489
Pueblo, CO$60,483
Appleton, WI$60,464
Buffalo, NY$60,439
Dayton, OH$60,420
Racine, WI$60,408
Charlotte, NC$60,401
Saint Louis, MO$60,383
York, PA$60,345
Elkhart, IN$60,345
Gastonia, NC$60,333
Billings, MT$60,318
Beaumont, TX$60,301
Lorain, OH$60,289
Benton Harbor, MI$60,276
Toledo, OH$60,264
Binghamton, NY$60,233
Rock Hill, SC$60,226
Rockford, IL$60,195
Springfield, IL$60,170
Elyria, OH$60,164
Fargo, ND$60,164
Flagstaff, AZ$60,120
Fort Lauderdale, FL$60,083
Duluth, MN$60,045
Miami, FL$60,045
Cheyenne, WY$60,001
Grand Forks, ND$60,001
Bangor, ME$59,864
Cedar Rapids, IA$59,795
Durham, NC$59,769
Louisville, KY$59,764
Grand Rapids, MI$59,751
Hialeah, FL$59,745
Casper, WY$59,658
Scranton, PA$59,583
New Orleans, LA$59,564
Virginia Beach, VA$59,558
Akron, OH$59,526
Peoria, IL$59,445
Sarasota, FL$59,433
Nashville, TN$59,389
Omaha, NE$59,389
Green Bay, WI$59,389
Baton Rouge, LA$59,358
Charleston, SC$59,345
Jamestown, NY$59,314
Davenport, IA$59,314
Tucson, AZ$59,283
Saint Petersburg, FL$59,245
Tampa, FL$59,233
Evansville, IN$59,195
Port Arthur, TX$59,195
Bradenton, FL$59,170
Santa Fe, NM$59,058
Orlando, FL$58,945
Clearwater, FL$58,927
Canton, OH$58,795
La Crosse, WI$58,795
Albuquerque, NM$58,758
Newport News, VA$58,752
High Point, NC$58,733
Ogden, UT$58,708
Corpus Christi, TX$58,658
Norfolk, VA$58,620
Laramie, WY$58,620
Rock Island, IL$58,583
Saginaw, MI$58,570
Jacksonville, FL$58,564
Salisbury, NC$58,552
Boise, ID$58,539
Moline, IL$58,508
Fort Myers, FL$58,489
Memphis, TN$58,477
Tulsa, OK$58,445
Waterloo, IA$58,408
Spartanburg, SC$58,345
Lincoln, NE$58,314
Fort Wayne, IN$58,302
Provo, UT$58,295
Cedar Falls, IA$58,220
San Antonio, TX$58,195
Greensboro, NC$58,170
South Bend, IN$58,164
Savannah, GA$58,095
Muskegon, MI$58,070
Birmingham, AL$58,064
Winston Salem, NC$58,033
Lake Charles, LA$57,883
Anderson, IN$57,870
Lexington, KY$57,852
Augusta, GA$57,833
Greenville, SC$57,833
Lima, OH$57,783
Wichita, KS$57,777
Tuscaloosa, AL$57,777
Columbia, SC$57,720
Springfield, OH$57,708
Asheville, NC$57,608
Bloomington, IN$57,564
Knoxville, TN$57,339
Shreveport, LA$57,333
Wilmington, NC$57,252
Roanoke, VA$57,252
Topeka, KS$57,139
Frankfort, KY$57,132
Oklahoma City, OK$57,089
Chillicothe, OH$57,064
Longview, TX$57,058
Melbourne, FL$57,052
Sioux Falls, SD$56,952
Mobile, AL$56,945
Terre Haute, IN$56,920
Altoona, PA$56,883
Amarillo, TX$56,839
Killeen, TX$56,820
Fayetteville, AR$56,770
Chattanooga, TN$56,752
Sioux City, IA$56,695
Idaho Falls, ID$56,683
Lynchburg, VA$56,633
Gainesville, FL$56,552
Portsmouth, OH$56,520
Little Rock, AR$56,508
Lafayette, LA$56,483
Youngstown, OH$56,483
Daytona Beach, FL$56,445
Clarksville, TN$56,439
Pensacola, FL$56,433
Temple, TX$56,429
Hopkinsville, KY$56,246
Erie, PA$56,233
Florence, SC$56,208
Charleston, WV$56,108
Great Falls, MT$56,077
Macon, GA$55,989
Tallahassee, FL$55,983
Fayetteville, NC$55,971
Waco, TX$55,958
Helena, MT$55,914
Pine Bluff, AR$55,891
Vincennes, IN$55,814
Lubbock, TX$55,789
Alamogordo, NM$55,752
Twin Falls, ID$55,696
Rapid City, SD$55,677
Jackson, MS$55,564
Huntington, WV$55,560
Greenville, MS$55,558
Parkersburg, WV$55,494
Montgomery, AL$55,483
Wichita Falls, TX$55,421
Springfield, MO$55,421
Biloxi, MS$55,389
Monroe, LA$55,327
Johnstown, PA$55,283
Sumter, SC$55,258
Columbus, GA$55,252
Pascagoula, MS$55,133
Abilene, TX$55,133
Kingsport, TN$54,971
Albany, GA$54,971
Gulfport, MS$54,952
Alexandria, LA$54,746
Fort Smith, AR$54,589
El Paso, TX$54,421
Las Cruces, NM$54,139
Harlingen, TX$53,981
Pocatello, ID$53,971
Florence, AL$53,889
Brownsville, TX$53,877
Mcallen, TX$53,746
Dothan, AL$53,658
Columbus, MS$53,287
Altus, OK$52,996
Lawton, OK$52,877
Pierre, SD$52,652
What Skills Can Increase an Architect I's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Leadership (Mentioned in 5.12% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Adobe (Mentioned in 1.96% Job Postings): A mixture of wet earth and grass made into bricks and dried in the sun, used to build houses. It originated from the oral form of Arabic al-tob, meaning "brick," It is the first materials used to create buildings in the 8th century B.C
Conceptualization (Mentioned in 1.36% Job Postings): Conceptualization is a process that involves coming up with clear, concise definitions. It is the reverse process of conception.
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Leadership
5.12%
Adobe
1.96%
Conceptualization
1.36%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Architect I's salary.
AWS: Can increase your salary by up to 36%.
Azure: Can increase your salary by up to 33%.
Salesforce: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
AWS
$84,993
36%
Azure
$83,118
33%
Salesforce
$78,744
26%
Computer Science
$76,244
22%
Java
$74,994
20%
API
$74,994
20%
Get Latest Data
Architect I Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
Architect I salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $67,982.
While startup companies pay approximate $57,592.
Architect I Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$57,592
Growth Stage
51~500
$60,886
Established
501~5000
$65,681
Enterprise
5000+
$67,982
Architect I Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Architect I roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 55% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Energy & Utilities and Construction
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, Architect positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Architect I as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for an Architect I
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Energy & Utilities
$78,119
$38.0
25%
Construction
$74,994
$36.0
20%
Business Services
$65,620
$32.0
5%
How Education impacts an Architect I's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Architect Is enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for an Architect I with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$65,537
and $68,762).
Architect I Salaries by Degree Level
Typical Education for Architect I
No Diploma0.4%
High School2.2%
Associates3.0%
Bachelors47.7%
Masters45.5%
Doctorate1.1%
view as table
Degree Level
% of user with this level of education
No Diploma
0.4%
High School
2.2%
Associates
3.0%
Bachelors
47.7%
Masters
45.5%
Doctorate
1.1%
view as graph
Architect I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how an Architect I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on July 01, 2026
$55,289
Average$62,495/year
$68,497
$4,607
Average$5,208/month
$5,708
$1,063
Average$1,202/week
$1,317
$27
Average$30/hour
$33
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$68,497
$5,708
$1,317
$33
Average
$62,495
$5,208
$1,202
$30
25th Percentile
$55,289
$4,607
$1,063
$27
Architect I Salary Growth & Career Path
For an Architect I, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Architect II role.
This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to
$75,896 - a projected growth of
21%
over your current level.
Salaries for an Architect I can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $53,756 in 2023
to around $53,722 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Architect I salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Architect I Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$53,756
2024
$53,978
2025
$53,722
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$53,756
2024
$53,978
2025
$53,722
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Architect I
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for Architect I
Here are companies hiring for Architect I and their salaries, click below for more details.
K
$114,295/per year
Kpmg Us LLP
Business Services
the United States
W
$114,096/per year
Warner Bros Discovery
Business Services
the United States
D
$111,927/per year
Dentsu International Ltd
Business Services
the United States
G
$111,873/per year
GroupM Worldwide Inc
Business Services
the United States
C
$111,651/per year
CoWorx Staffing
Business Services
the United States
C
$110,194/per year
Contemporary Services Corp
Business Services
the United States
S
$107,128/per year
Showcase Cinemas
Business Services
the United States
A
$106,429/per year
Amentum Services Inc
Business Services
the United States
A
$106,199/per year
Allied Universal Security Services LLC
Business Services
the United States
S
$106,104/per year
Sodexo USA
Business Services
the United States
J
$105,192/per year
JLL Technologies
Business Services
the United States
I
$104,478/per year
Intact Insurance Group USA LLC
Business Services
the United States
N
$101,619/per year
NielsenIQ
Business Services
the United States
T
$101,470/per year
The Leading Edge Alliance
Business Services
the United States
H
$101,308/per year
Honeywell UOP
Business Services
the United States
R
$97,720/per year
Reeve & Associates
Business Services
the United States
M
$97,584/per year
ManpowerGroup Global Inc
Business Services
the United States
F
$95,980/per year
Financial Sys Nco
Business Services
the United States
A
$95,314/per year
Arrow Global Ltd
Business Services
the United States
C
$94,777/per year
CarMax Enterprise Services LLC
Business Services
the United States
D
$94,479/per year
DZConneX
Business Services
the United States
A
$93,802/per year
Adecco Staffing, USA
Business Services
the United States
R
$92,937/per year
Resource MFG
Business Services
the United States
Z
$92,774/per year
Zachry Brands Inc
Business Services
the United States
G
$88,138/per year
Greystar Worldwide LLC
Business Services
the United States
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Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Architect I
1. Where can an Architect I earn the most?
An Architect I's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer.
According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, an Architect I earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of an Architect I is $78,825.
2. What is the highest pay for Architect I?
The highest pay for Architect I is $73,962.
3. What is the lowest pay for Architect I?
The lowest pay for Architect I is $48,728.
4. What are the responsibilities of Architect I?
Responsible for performing design computations, compiling data, and completing rudimentary architectural assignments. Works from the designs of others to prepare sketches, preliminary drawings, and schematic designs. Prepares project estimates and completes architectural plans/renderings following specific instructions. Prepares reports and specifications as requested. May participate in an architectural internship or professional development program. May be working towards obtaining architecture license. Requires a bachelor's degree in architecture. Typically reports to a manager. Work is closely managed. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience.
5. What industry pays the highest salary for Architect I?
The Energy & Utilities industry offers the highest average compensation for Architect I roles,
with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
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