Sort by any column. Employment is the number of architects, except landscape and naval OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Architect Salary by State (2026)
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval earn the most in Wyoming at $120,580 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $60,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $99,280. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $120,580
- National median
- $99,280
- Lowest median
- $60,120
- States reporting
- 53
Wyoming
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
- 1. Wyoming$120,580 median · $130,088 adjusted · 130 employed
- 2. Massachusetts$117,330 median · $110,943 adjusted · 4,590 employed
- 3. Maryland$114,550 median · $109,138 adjusted · 1,800 employed
- 4. Alaska$108,730 median · $106,224 adjusted · 210 employed
- 5. California$108,540 median · $98,031 adjusted · 13,270 employed
Lowest-paying states for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
- 53. Puerto Rico$60,120 median · no price parity · 790 employed
- 52. Guam$69,990 median · no price parity · 40 employed
- 51. New Mexico$77,720 median · $84,284 adjusted · 600 employed
- 50. Arkansas$78,190 median · $89,939 adjusted · 720 employed
- 49. Maine$78,600 median · $80,989 adjusted · 500 employed
Architect salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $120,580 | $78,910 | $123,500 | 130 | $130,088 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $117,330 | $87,050 | $127,780 | 4,590 | $110,943 |
| 3 | Maryland | $114,550 | $81,280 | $148,700 | 1,800 | $109,138 |
| 4 | Alaska | $108,730 | $79,330 | $129,990 | 210 | $106,224 |
| 5 | California | $108,540 | $85,990 | $152,430 | 13,270 | $98,031 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $105,160 | $79,810 | $126,030 | 550 | $102,816 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $103,540 | $78,510 | $124,150 | 1,200 | $99,932 |
| 8 | South Dakota | $102,500 | $76,890 | $128,200 | 180 | $115,707 |
| 9 | Colorado | $102,400 | $80,660 | $128,950 | 3,290 | $99,367 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $102,340 | $73,690 | $107,370 | 600 | $93,078 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $102,040 | $78,110 | $130,200 | 1,700 | $92,847 |
| 12 | Arizona | $102,000 | $84,080 | $124,390 | 1,550 | $101,314 |
| 13 | Nevada | $101,570 | $79,470 | $129,230 | 530 | $101,591 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $101,550 | $75,140 | $130,570 | 1,030 | $108,321 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $101,100 | $75,850 | $108,020 | 250 | $97,058 |
| 16 | Georgia | $100,420 | $83,210 | $130,810 | 2,440 | $104,286 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $100,350 | $75,630 | $121,050 | 910 | $114,238 |
| 18 | Washington | $100,190 | $80,960 | $114,430 | 3,720 | $93,624 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $99,940 | $79,030 | $122,290 | 2,340 | $101,337 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $99,800 | $84,400 | $132,670 | 2,390 | $91,724 |
| 21 | New York | $99,280 | $76,950 | $128,690 | 10,360 | $91,993 |
| 22 | Oregon | $98,800 | $80,100 | $117,290 | 2,050 | $95,587 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $98,510 | $79,920 | $120,520 | 1,230 | $104,692 |
| 24 | Missouri | $98,490 | $77,530 | $128,380 | 2,150 | $108,449 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $97,680 | $75,420 | $116,460 | 630 | $108,342 |
| 26 | Virginia | $97,680 | $78,300 | $125,750 | 2,130 | $96,613 |
| 27 | Montana | $97,290 | $74,700 | $127,900 | 550 | $102,795 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $97,110 | $79,110 | $123,210 | 290 | $109,163 |
| 29 | Delaware | $97,030 | $91,700 | $118,530 | 120 | $97,217 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $97,030 | $73,550 | $121,530 | 3,760 | $99,445 |
| 31 | Iowa | $96,810 | $67,830 | $122,050 | 650 | $110,310 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $96,470 | $79,240 | $105,520 | 80 | $107,791 |
| 33 | Florida | $96,240 | $76,550 | $122,940 | 5,580 | $93,063 |
| 34 | Indiana | $96,060 | $63,040 | $127,440 | 1,430 | $102,926 |
| 35 | Alabama | $95,990 | $76,340 | $133,150 | 990 | $108,069 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $95,700 | $79,010 | $122,960 | 2,980 | $101,457 |
| 37 | Utah | $95,590 | $77,630 | $124,660 | 1,520 | $96,688 |
| 38 | Ohio | $94,960 | $64,450 | $122,590 | 3,480 | $102,356 |
| 39 | Texas | $94,490 | $76,730 | $121,670 | 7,820 | $97,355 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $94,030 | $76,070 | $118,090 | 2,570 | $102,351 |
| 41 | Idaho | $93,710 | $68,860 | $107,990 | 850 | $98,132 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $91,530 | $60,460 | $113,530 | 620 | $101,584 |
| 43 | Michigan | $88,430 | $67,360 | $108,300 | 2,630 | $91,907 |
| 44 | Kansas | $85,490 | $73,320 | $103,490 | 840 | $94,917 |
| 45 | Vermont | $82,400 | $63,400 | $99,990 | 320 | $84,118 |
| 46 | Illinois | $81,780 | $65,110 | $105,090 | 5,130 | $81,814 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $80,870 | $67,410 | $114,170 | 330 | $93,004 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $79,580 | $61,110 | $110,950 | 1,200 | $90,220 |
| 49 | Maine | $78,600 | $65,460 | $101,150 | 500 | $80,989 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $78,190 | $64,170 | $100,490 | 720 | $89,939 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $77,720 | $61,040 | $97,870 | 600 | $84,284 |
| 52 | Guam | $69,990 | $54,090 | $105,910 | 40 | N/A |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $60,120 | $45,940 | $75,920 | 790 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Architects, Except Landscape and Naval, that changes the ranking: Wyoming leads on raw pay at $120,580, while Wyoming leads once prices are taken into account at $130,088.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Architect pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Architects, Except Landscape and Naval the most?
Wyoming reports the highest median wage for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval at $120,580 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($117,330) and Maryland ($114,550).
Which state pays Architects, Except Landscape and Naval the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval at $60,120 a year, $60,460 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Architects, Except Landscape and Naval earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Wyoming first at $130,088 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $120,580. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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