Architectural Designers in the US make around $71,500 per year on average. Several factors may affect your salary, resulting in pay above or below average. Higher education and more experience can lead to higher pay. Some industries also pay more than others, particularly if they’re located in locations with high demand and a high cost of living. You can also optimize your salary by specializing in an on-demand skill while training to become an Architectural Designer. 

What is an Architectural Designer?

Architectural Designers transform design concepts into reality. When studying architectural design, students learn how to create functional, sustainable, responsive, and aesthetically pleasing structures. This role requires one to develop technical design skills and soft skills. Architectural Designers must also keep up with industry trends. In recent years, sustainable design has become more popular among home and business owners. Many clients expect new builds to incorporate sustainable designs and energy-efficient systems. An Architectural Designer looking forward knows how to keep up with these trends and advancements in architecture and construction. 

Architectural Designers often work with other professionals involved in architecture and construction. Architects usually lead an architectural design team. They plan and oversee the construction process while also managing contracts. Architectural Designers may also work alongside Interior Designers, who make indoor spaces functional, and BIM Specialists. This role may also require collaborating with engineers, contractors, and clients. The level of teamwork associated with Architectural Designer roles means that individuals working in this field need excellent communication skills. 

What Affects Your Pay as an Architectural Designer

Your salary as an Architectural Designer will vary depending on several factors. Your level of education, degree of experience, the industry you work in, the location where you work, and your specialized skills will influence how much you make as an Architectural Designer. 

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Education

You can pursue a degree to become qualified for Architectural Designer roles or you can pursue non-degree training. Typically, Architectural Designers will pursue a bachelor’s degree in architecture to meet the education requirements of Architectural Designer roles. Professionals who pursue non-degree training can still enroll in comprehensive programs that will teach them how to use industry-standard software and how to manage architectural design projects. The more education you have the more qualified you’ll be for architectural design roles that pay higher salaries. 

Experience

Your prior experience plays a significant role in influencing your pay as an Architectural Designer. Candidates with more experience in the field have a better chance at higher-paying roles. More experience shows potential employers that you know what you’re doing. In addition, the more experience you have the more projects you can choose from when tailoring your portfolio. 

Look for on-the-job experience you can gain while training. An opportunity most students look for is an internship. Working at an architecture firm as an intern will provide you with valuable work experience. You’ll have the chance to gain hands-on experience and see how architecture firms operate. This type of experience is great to showcase on your resume and can help you make connections that you might need to ask for a letter of recommendation from in the future. 

Industry

The industry you work in will impact how much you earn as an Architectural Designer. Corporations pay more than small businesses and industries that have a high demand for architecture work will also likely pay more. For example, Architectural Designers who work for local, state, and national government agencies typically make more than designers in other industries. Before jumping into an industry based on pay, research the type of architectural design work that needs to be done. Designing for a hospital, for example, will prove different from designing a retail store or someone’s home. 

Some Architectural Designers opt to provide freelance services. Freelance Architectural Designer can choose their hours and charge their own prices for their work. Many Architectural Designers enjoy the flexibility that comes with working as a freelancer. As a freelance Architectural Designer, you will primarily work with small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits. Doing so means you’ll likely have to accommodate project budgets very closely, which can prove challenging for some. 

Location

Location influences the pay range for just about every job. Jobs located in places with a high cost of living will usually pay more than the same job located in a place with a lower cost of living. Research the pay for Architectural Designers in places you would like to live and work. If the cost of living is high, you may decide that living and working there is not worth the cost of living. In those cases, you can always determine if commuting is reasonable. Another option is to work remotely. Some firms hire remote Architectural Designers. Freelance Architectural Designers also have the option of working remotely. Unlike architects and project managers, who need to visit project sites frequently, Architectural Designers can work remotely. 

Specialization

If you have learned an in-demand specialized skill while taking architectural design classes, you may find that your average starting pay is higher than students who don’t specialize in a skill. When studying architectural design, you may specialize in topics like project management, BIM, or CAD software. BIM software experts, for example, can look for BIM manager roles, which typically pay more than Architectural Designer roles. Project management and leadership skills may help you land an Architectural Designer role that needs a strong team leader and, therefore, pays more than an entry-level role. 

Pay Range for Architectural Designers

According to Indeed, Architectural Designers make just shy of $71,500 per year on average. Pay ranges from $45,500 to $111,000. This variation is attributed to the factors discussed in this article, especially location. 

When comparing a city like New York, with a high population and demand for Architectural Designers, and a city like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a population of just over 200,000, we can see the location effect take place. Architectural Designers in NYC make an average annual salary of $84,500, over $10,000 more than the national average. Meanwhile, Architectural Designers in Sioux Falls make about $66,000, or seven percent less than the national average. 

Highest-Earning Job Titles for Architectural Designers

With the right training and experience, you can work your way up from an Architectural Designer career to a higher-earning job title. In the US, Architectural Designers make roughly $71,500 annually. Architects, who Architectural Designers often work under, make $108,000 on average. The main difference between these two roles is that architects usually earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited architecture program and architects must pass the Architect Registration Exam to become licensed. Once in the role of architect, you’ll handle more legal matters associated with architecture projects. In NYC, architects make around $110,500 per year on average. 

After ten or more years of experience in the field, a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and plenty of time in leadership positions, you can apply for a Director of Architecture role. In the US, a Director of Architecture makes anywhere from $103,000 to $247,000. Salary is largely dependent on location (a Director of Architecture makes $166,000 on average in NYC), experience, and the industry you work in. 

Learn the Skills to Become an Architectural Designer at Noble Desktop

Interested in developing the skills needed to become an Architectural Designer? Check out these live online classes available to enroll in today. 

Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Bootcamp will teach you the fundamentals of technical drawing. The 30-hour live online bootcamp covers the creation of 2D drawings using AutoCAD. Lessons range from beginner to intermediate-level skills. You can expect to learn basic drawing and modifying techniques for drafting and technical drawing in the bootcamp’s beginner-level lessons. As part of the bootcamp, you’ll receive access to a 1-on-1 training session with an expert who will answer questions you have about challenging course concepts and provide assistance with your project. After completing the course, you have one year to take advantage of a free retake. Before enrolling in this bootcamp, please be aware that Noble designed the course for PC users. Noble hosts in-person PC-only versions of the bootcamp, but Mac users may attend the live online bootcamp. If using a Mac, be aware that the Mac AutoCAD graphic interface is different from the PC version that the instructor will use.

For a more intensive AutoCAD training experience, enroll in Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Certification Program. This live online program will prepare you to become an Autodesk Certified Professional. An expert instructor will guide you and your classmates through beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level AutoCAD. In addition to 48 hours of hands-on lessons, you’ll have access to six hours of private tutoring. During your tutoring sessions, you can ask questions about topics of interest and challenging course content. The program fee includes the cost of the certification exam and a retake. If you want to enroll in the program but don’t want to take the exam, let Noble Desktop know and they will instead provide you with an extra hour of tutoring. 

Sign up for Noble’s AutoCAD Masterclass to learn the foundations of AutoCAD along with advanced-level skills. You’ll learn through hands-on lessons that cover the basics of AutoCAD, like opening and creating drawings, exploring the interface, and using fundamental drawing and editing commands. Later lessons covered in the course teach effective working methods and accurate positioning. The course intends to help students gain real-world experience through project-based lessons where you’ll learn to use productivity tools commonly utilized by Architectural Designers. Along with 48 hours of training, Noble includes one 1-on-1 training session where you can ask an expert about challenging course topics. 

VDCI offers accredited classes to help you develop the skills needed to work as an Architectural Designer. In their Introduction to Revit course, you’ll learn about foundational Revit concepts and how they relate to BIM. This hands-on class will help you gain real-world experience as you work on a class project that includes floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, curtain walls, and roof design.

VDCI’s Revit Architecture Professional Program will introduce you to beginner and intermediate-level Revit. During these lessons, you’ll design 3D building models and learn how to explore BIM project management techniques. Three courses within the program cover construction documents. In BIM Construction I, II, and III, you’ll learn how to produce renderings for presentation and documentation. Lessons also cover building topography for projects and cataloging building information using schedules. 

Enroll in VDCI’s BIM Certificate Program to learn how to use Revit to create 3D models of commercial building projects. The 100% live online class includes 290 clock hours of comprehensive lessons covering Revit, construction documents, and BIM detailing. You will also have your choice of 60-80 clock hours of electives that will count toward completing your certificate program training, and you will gain relevant work experience while working on a capstone project.