2005

AIA Compensation Report

A Survey of U.S. Architecture Firms
REGIONS

1 New England 3 East North Central 5 South Atlantic

Connecticut Illinois Delaware
Maine Indiana District of Columbia
Massachusetts Michigan Florida
New Hampshire Ohio Georgia
Rhode Island Wisconsin Maryland
Vermont North Carolina
4 West North Central South Carolina
2 Middle Atlantic Iowa Virginia
New Jersey Kansas West Virginia
New York Minnesota
Pennsylvania Missouri
Nebraska
North Dakota
South Dakota

8
1

4
2
3

6 5

7
8

9
8 Pacific Northwest
Alaska
Idaho
Montana
Oregon
6 East South Central Washington
Alabama Wyoming
Kentucky
Mississippi 9 Pacific Southwest
Tennessee Arizona
California
7 West South Central Colorado
Arkansas Hawaii
Louisiana Nevada
Oklahoma New Mexico
Texas Utah
Published in 2005 by
The American Institute of Architects
1735 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006

© 2005 The American Institute of Architects

All rights reserved
Printed in the United States
ISBN 1-57165-010-5

Report prepared by
Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, Diego Saltes, and Jennifer Riskus
Economics and Market Research, AIA Public Advocacy
The American Institute of Architects

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AIA national component staff
Irica Cheeks, Bill Choi, Pam del Canto, Anne Dow, Brenda Henderson, Hon. AIA, Janet
Rumbarger, Phil Simon

Questionnaire review panel

Meg Brown, Nikki Duffner, Sidney Koerner, Karen Krueger, Kathleen Maurel, Robert
Molla, Michele Pruitt, Robert Smith, AIA

Survey administration and data tabulation

MemberSurvey.com/Readex Research
Stillwater, Minn.

Special thanks to the Large Firm Roundtable Human Resources Group and the Council
of Architectural Component Executives for their assistance.
CONTENTS

I. OV E R V I E W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Incentive Compensation Forms Portion of Gains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Technical Staff at Firms Pace Compensation Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Compensation Higher at Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Principal/Partner Compensation Also Higher at Larger Firms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Benefits More Extensive at Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

I I . C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Intern Compensation Highest in Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Premiums Often Offered for Master’s Degree, Licensure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sign-on Bonuses Decline in Popularity with Slower Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Larger Firms Offer Higher Compensation for Principals and Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

I I I . E M P L OY E E B E N E F I T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Medical Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Value of Benefits as Percentage of Base Pay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Incentives for Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Paid Days Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

I V. C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Compensation Table Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Definitions of MSAs by County/City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Definitions of Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
National: All Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Firm Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Regional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
State and Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

A P P E N D I X 1 . S U R V E Y M E T H O D O L O G Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

I N D E X O F TA B L E S A N D C H A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
I. OVERVIEW

Architect Compensation Growing Faster than Professional Salaries

I n spite of a recession in nonresi-
dential construction through much
of the period, salaries for architecture
EXHIBIT 1.1

average compensation
for architect positions index: 1990 Q1=100
positions at U.S. architecture firms
$80,000 200
increased more than 10% between
2002 and 2005,1 or at about a 3.3% 70,000 62,600
annual compound growth rate. While
58,800
this growth rate was below the rate 60,000 175
the profession experienced between 48,900
50,000 41,900
1999 and 2002 (5.1% per year) and
1996 to 1999 (5.3%), it represents a 40,000 36,500 150
34,400
significant increase in compensation,
particularly given that professional 30,000
salaries in our economy managed to
20,000 125
grow only 2.5% per year on average
over these three years, according to 10,000
U.S. Department of Labor figures.
0 100
Since the recession of the early
1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005
1990s, when compensation for archi-
tecture positions failed to keep pace Architect salaries indexed, right axis**
Architect compensation, left axis*
even with overall inflation, architects Professional salaries indexed, right axis**
and interns working at architecture *Average compensation for all architecture positions, including overtime, bonuses, and incentive
firms have experienced a notable compensation; compensation presented as of first quarter of year.
improvement in compensation. **Salaries indexed: 1990 Q1 = 100; all computed for Q1 of year presented; professional category
includes professional, specialty, and technical occupations.

EXHIBIT 1.2 Managers Pace Compensation Gains Between 1996 and 2005, architec-
average annual compensation including overtime, bonuses, and other ture positions have seen compensa-
incentive compensation; and average increases over period; averages for tion increases totaling almost 50%,
all architecture firms excluding principal/partner positions while compensation for professional,
specialty, and technical positions at
Average Annual Increase in U.S. companies increased by less
Average Compensation Compensation
than 32% (Exhibit 1.1).
1999 2002 2005 1999–2002 2002–2005 While compensation has
total net of total net of increased for architecture posi-
inflation inflation tions at all levels of experience
Managers/dept. heads* $67,500 $77,300 $85,800 4.6% 1.8% 3.5% 1.3% and job responsibility, managers
Architect/designers** 46,100 52,600 57,700 4.5 1.6 3.1 0.9 and department heads have en-
joyed the strongest gains in recent
Interns*** 31,400 35,300 38,800 4.0 1.1 3.2 1.0
years, as have architecture staff with
*Includes department heads, senior managers, and project managers. responsibility for directing major
departments or functions within
**Includes senior architects/designers and architects/designers I, II, III.
the firm, or for managing significant
***Includes entry-level, second-year, and third-year interns.
aspects of design projects. These
positions saw increases of 11%
between 2002 and 2005, slightly
more than the gains realized by
1
The AIA compensation surveys request that firms provide information as of January 1 of the year of the sur- staff architects and nonregistered
veys. Information presented in this report pertains to salaries at the beginning of each of the survey years.
Compensation is defined to include base pay plus overtime pay, bonuses, profit sharing, and other cash architecture designers (graduates of
compensation. In the detailed compensation tables included in this report, base pay is broken out from ad- accredited architecture programs,
ditional cash compensation. The value of employee benefits is not included in the compensation figures. but without an architecture license).

5 OVERVIEW Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

This category of employees also
saw the greatest gains in compensa-
tion between 1999 and 2002.
Interns—architecture staff who
are typically being mentored by
more experienced members of the
firm, and not yet eligible to take the
architecture registration examina-
tions—saw compensation increases
of close to 10% over the 2002 to 2005
period, just a bit in excess of gains
realized by architects and architec-
ture designers. Interns typically are
eligible for overtime pay, but with
weak construction conditions in
most areas during this period, over-
time opportunities may have been
more limited than usual (Exhibit 1.2).
Incentive Compensation Forms
Portion of Gains
Though architecture positions have
seen significant gains in compensa-
tion over the past decade, some of
these gains have resulted from firm
and individual performance incen-
tives. Typically, about 5% to 10% of
cash compensation (excluding any
benefits received) comes in the form
of overtime payments, profit sharing,
bonuses, and other incentive com-
pensation. Incentive payments form
a fairly significant portion of compen-
sation at many firms because of the
volatile nature of project workloads
in the profession.
EXHIBIT 1.4 Compensation Rising Fastest for Technical Staff
average compensation, and change over period; includes only positions
covered in both 2002 and 2005 AIA compensation surveys
2002
Architecture staff $56,800
Other design professionals 57,800
Technical staff 45,500
Nontechnical and admin. staff 41,400
6 OVERVIEW
EXHIBIT 1.3 Higher Share of Compensation Not Guaranteed at Larger Firms
overtime, bonuses, and other incentive compensation as a % of base pay, 2005
All firms Under 10 employees Over 250 employees
Managers/dept. heads* 8.8% 8.7% 11.0%
Architect/designers** 5.3 5.1 6.5
Interns*** 4.6 3.8 9.1
*Includes department heads, senior managers, and project managers.
**Includes senior architects/designers and architects/designers I, II, III.
***Includes entry-level, second-year, and third-year interns.
Since 1990, for example, there In 2005 just under 5% of intern
have been eight years when non- compensation was nonguaranteed
residential construction activity overtime, bonuses, and other incen-
nationally has grown or declined by tive compensation. This figure rose
10% or more from the previous year. to just over 5% for architect and other
Individual architecture firms are likely architecture staff positions, and to
to have seen even more volatility in almost 9% for managers and depart-
project activity, so project workloads ment heads.
can fluctuate widely from one year to Larger firms relied more heav-
the next on top of normal market vol- ily on overtime and other incentive
atility. This means that not only are payments over the period covered
staff workloads likely to change from by this survey. This was particularly
year to year, including overtime pay- true for intern positions: at firms with
ments to hourly workers, but so is the more than 250 employees, the share
overall financial performance of the of nonguaranteed compensation
firm. In order to share the risks and averaged more than 9% for intern
rewards stemming from uncertain positions, almost double the average
financial outcomes, firms typically across all firms for these positions.
offer a portion of staff compensa- While it is often thought that smaller
tion as overtime and performance firms typically need to offer more
incentives. risk- and reward-sharing compensa-
tion because of their expected vola-
tility in financial performance, just
the opposite was reported over the
2002 to 2005 period. This may be the
result of better financial performance
by larger firms over this period, since
not only were incentive payments
higher at these firms, but so was
Average annual base compensation, as we will see
2005 increase, 2002–2005 later in this chapter (Exhibit 1.3).
$62,600 3.3%
62,900 2.9
53,700 5.7
47,300 4.5
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
Technical Staff at Firms Pace EXHIBIT 1.5 Compensation Generally Higher at Larger Firms
Compensation Gains average compensation, including overtime, bonuses, and other
Compensation gains for nonarchitec- incentive compensation, 2005
ture positions at architecture firms $80,000
have more than kept pace with gains
for architecture staff. Between 2002 70,000 74,200
71,400
and 2005, other design professionals 68,800
60,000 65,700
(engineers, interior designers, land-
61,400
scape architects, urban planners, 59,400
and graphic designers) saw compen- 50,000
sation gains of nearly 9%, just below
the gains for architecture positions. 40,000
40,300 40,100
39,400 40,000
Gains by technical staff as well as 36,700
30,000 36,400
nontechnical and administrative staff
surpassed those of the design posi-
20,000
tions, often by fairly healthy margins.
Under 10 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more
For technical positions in par-
ticular, compensation gains have Number of Employees
been very strong in recent years. Architects*
Compensation gains for computer- Interns
assisted design (CAD) managers, for
example, averaged more than 25% *Includes nonregistered architecture staff with more than three years of experience
over this three-year period. Gains for
both information technology manag-
ers and construction administrators
increased between 17% and 18%
over this period.
As architecture firms have
grown in scale and the profession EXHIBIT 1.6 Principal/Partner Compensation 15% to 50% Higher at Larger Firms
has increased its technological average compensation in 2005, including bonuses, profit-sharing,
sophistication, technical skills have and other incentive compensation
commanded a higher premium. In
many instances, architecture firms
$250,000
are competing with other industries
for technical staff with the same 245,000
200,000
skills, driving up salaries. Likewise,
architecture firms are competing with
150,000 173,400
other industries for many nontechni- 158,200
cal and administrative staff positions.
100,000 133,200
Many of these other industries did 121,600
105,100
not go through a downturn nearly as
severe as nonresidential construction 50,000
earlier this decade. Therefore, these
positions have also seen strong 0
gains in compensation between Senior Midlevel Junior
principal/partner principal/partner principal/partner
2002 and 2005, since architecture
firms have had to match economy-
wide increases for these positions Under 50 employees

(Exhibit 1.4). 50 or more employees

7 OVERVIEW Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

Compensation Higher
at Larger Firms
Larger architecture firms have tradi-
tionally offered higher compensation
than smaller firms for comparable
positions. Larger firms often work
on bigger, more complex projects,
for which fees can be higher. Also,
larger firms typically have higher
levels of investment per employee
in technology and support staff,
which generally increase staff pro-
ductivity and allow for higher levels
of compensation.
Differences in compensation
by size of firm vary considerably
by position. For intern positions,
smaller firms typically offer lower
levels of compensation, but there are
hardly any compensation differences
between midsize and larger firms.
Compensation levels are very flat
for these positions at firms with 20
or more employees. The differences
in compensation for intern positions
between midsize and larger firms
and firms with fewer than 20 employ-
ees are generally 10% or less.
For architecture positions with
more than three years of experience,
compensation differences between
larger and smaller firms are more
pronounced. Average compensa-
tion for these positions at firms with
250 or more employees is about
25% higher than at firms with fewer
than 10 employees. As can be seen
in Exhibit 1.5, there is a steady pro-
gression in average compensation
for architecture positions as firm size
increases.
8 OVERVIEW
EXHIBIT 1.7 Benefits as Share of Salary Higher at Larger Firms
benefits as % of base pay by employee category, average accross all firms, 2005
Professional
design staff
Technical
and administrative
15.5%
Hourly
10%
Under 50 employees
50 or more employees
Principal/Partner Compensation
Also Higher at Larger Firms
Like compensation levels for most
staff positions, principal and partner
compensation tends to be higher at
larger firms. The differential ranges
from about 15% for junior principal
and partner positions when compar-
ing firms with 50 or more employees
to firms with fewer than 50 employ-
ees, to 30% for midlevel principal
and partner positions, to over 50%
for senior principal and partner posi-
tions (Exhibit 1.6).
Though compensation for prin-
cipals and partners is higher on aver-
age at larger firms, a smaller share of
that total typically is offered as base
salary. Across firms of all sizes, about
70% of principal and partner com-
pensation was base salary in 2005.
However, for principals and partners
at firms with 250 employees or more,
less than half of their compensation
was considered base salary. These
shares of nonguaranteed compen-
sation are much higher than for
17.7%
24.1%
18.1%
24.0%
21.0%
15 20 25
architecture staff or intern positions.
For staff positions, the share of non-
guaranteed compensation typically
averages below 20% of base pay.
Benefits More Extensive
at Larger Firms
Employee benefits as a share of base
salary averaged between 18% and
19% at firms in 2005. They were just
about a comparable share for sala-
ried professional design staff and
technical and administrative posi-
tions, while somewhat lower for
hourly workers.
However, there is a difference
between benefits as a share of salary
at firms with 50 or more employees
compared to firms with fewer than 50
employees. Larger firms, even with
higher levels of base pay on average,
offered benefits that averaged about
24% of base pay for salaried posi-
tions. The value of benefits at smaller
firms averaged about 18% of base
pay (Exhibit 1.7).
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
I I . C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S

I n 2005, compensation for architec-

ture positions at U.S. architecture
firms averaged $62,600 once over-
time, bonuses, and other incentive
compensation are factored in. This
figure represents a 10.2% increase
over the average compensation of
$56,800 reported in 2002, or aver-
age compounded growth of 3.3%
per year. It represents the average
growth in compensation across the
architecture profession, not the aver-
age increase received by individual
architecture staff. Many individuals
occupy different positions now than
they did in 2002, so their compensa-
tion reflects not only increases for a
given position, but also increases
from moving to a new position.
Even within a given position,
however, there is considerable differ-
ence in compensation levels. Some
of this variation is the result of firms
using different job titles to describe
a position. Some has to do with the
range of compensation within a
given position title. However, for a
number of reasons, some firms com-
pensate their employees more than
other firms. In particular, the size of
the firm generally influences com-
pensation levels.
Depending on the position, a
firm with 250 or more employees
compensates employees anywhere
from nearly 10% to almost 40%
more than a firm with fewer than 10
employees. This differential is gener-
ally greater for more senior positions
such as managers and department
heads—positions for which there
may be considerable differences in
day-to-day responsibilities.
However, compensation differ-
ences also exist for positions where
experience levels are likely very sim-
ilar: intern positions and architect/
designer positions that are defined
largely by years of experience. An
entry-level intern position at a firm
with 250 or more employees, for
example, is compensated about
9% more than the national average,
and 20% more than the average at a
firm with fewer than 10 employees
(Exhibit 2.1).
Intern Compensation Highest
in Northeast
In addition to firm size, location
influences compensation levels.
Compensation for entry-level interns,
including overtime and incentive
payments, for example, ranged over
$6,000, from a high of $35,600 in the
South Atlantic region to $29,400 in
the East South Central region. The
range across regions for Intern II and
Intern III positions was comparable,
although slightly less on a percent-
age basis. In general, intern com-
pensation was above the national
average in the Northeast, below the
national average in the Midwest, and
mixed in the South and West.
Many factors can influence
regional differences in compensa-
tion. The cost of living varies among
regions, so lower compensation may
not mean a lower standard of living.
Also, different regions have a differ-
ent mix of firms by size, so regional
compensation differences may
reflect differences in firm size.
Finally, regional compensa-
tion differences may also reflect
employment market variations.
Some regions may be more desir-
able for young architects, or may be
home to more architecture programs
and therefore have a greater natu-
ral supply of interns. Other regions
may have more active construc-
tion markets and therefore more
opportunities for interns. These fac-
tors influence the compensation

EXHIBIT 2.1 Larger Firms Compensate Managers Above All-Firm Averages

average compensation for architecture positions, including overtime, bonuses, and incentive compensation, 2005

Number of Employees

Position Fewer than 10 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or More All offices

Department head/senior manager $84,700 $91,200 $94,600 $103,400 $112,100 $118,100 $99,000
Project manager 67,300 69,100 76,400 79,900 85,300 87,900 77,400
Senior architect/designer 60,400 63,100 70,000 75,200 78,400 83,800 73,000
Architect/designer III 52,900 55,400 59,800 61,400 64,300 64,500 60,800
Architect/designer II 48,000 49,100 51,500 51,500 57,000 55,700 52,400
Architect/designer I 41,300 42,600 44,700 44,700 47,400 44,300 44,300
Third-year intern 40,000 39,600 43,500 43,500 43,600 43,700 41,900
Second-year intern 34,700 36,200 39,400 39,000 39,000 38,700 37,800
Entry-level intern 31,200 31,700 36,100 36,800 36,800 37,600 34,600

9 C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 EXHIBIT 2.2 Intern Compensation Higher in New England, South Atlantic Regions
average compensation for intern positions by region compared to national average, 2005

9% 8.1%
6.9%
6 5.0%

2.6% 2.9% 1.9% 2.6%

3 1.7% 1.4%
0.9%
0
0.0%
-0.2% -0.5%
-2.9% -1.1%
-3 -2.3% -2.4% -1.6%
-3.1% -1.3% -0.3% -3.1%
-6 -4.3%
-5.0%

-9 -8.1%

-12
-11.4%

-15
-15%

New England Middle East North West North South Atlantic East South West South Pacific Pacific
Atlantic Central Central Central Central Northwest Southwest

Entry level Second year Third year

packages that firms need to offer EXHIBIT 2.3 More than Four in Ten Firms Paid Premium for Master’s Degree
to attract qualified applicants % of firms by level of additional starting salaries for master’s degree holders, 2005
(Exhibit 2.2).

Premiums Often Offered for Master’s

Degree, Licensure
More than 10%
Students wishing to pursue a career 5% to 10%
12% 3%
in architecture typically obtain
Up to 5%
an undergraduate professional 27%
degree in architecture, a program
that generally takes five years to
complete. Aspiring architects who
do not pursue an undergraduate
degree in architecture can obtain
No additional compensation
a professional degree through a 58%
master’s degree from an accredited
architecture program.
Some firms pay a premium
for candidates who have a master’s
degree, feeling that the broader

10 C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

educational background and addi- EXHIBIT 2.4 Two-thirds of Firms Offer Salary Increase upon Registration
tional years of education will be % of firms offering salary increase, by level of increase, 2005
beneficial. Other firms treat both as
equivalent first professional degrees,
and do not distinguish between the
two in terms of compensation.
A majority do not appear to dis-
tinguish between these two routes 5% to 9% 10% or more
33% 11%
to obtaining an architecture degree:
almost six in ten firms did not offer
higher starting salaries for master’s
degree holders in 2004. Of the firms
None
that do offer a premium for a mas- Under 5%
31%
ter’s degree, about two-thirds indi- 25%
cated that the premium was less than
5% of starting salary (Exhibit 2.3).
However, larger firms are much
more likely to offer a premium in
starting salary for a master’s degree.
More than three-quarters of firms
with 250 or more employees offer
higher starting salaries, as do more
than 60% of firms with at least 50 but
fewer than 250 employees. EXHIBIT 2.5 Most Firms Did Not Offer Sign-on Bonuses
Most firms offer a salary % of firms by frequency of offering sign-on bonuses in 2004
increase to their employees upon
successful completion of the Always or sometimes
Architect Registration Examination. 8.9%
Of the almost 70% of firms that Rarely
do so, the most common increase 5.5%
was between 5% and 10% of sal-
ary (Exhibit 2.4). Larger firms were
somewhat less likely to offer a salary
increase upon registration.

Sign-on Bonuses Decline in

Popularity with Slower Economy
Never
In the more competitive job markets 85.6%
of the late 1990s, architecture firms
occasionally offered sign-on bonuses
to attract job candidates. Sign-on
bonuses, one-time payments to
newly hired employees, have the
advantage of offering incentives to
desired candidates without chang-
ing a firm’s salary structure. When
economic conditions cool, sign-on
bonuses can be discontinued with-
out having to lower base salaries.

11 C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 Almost 86% of firms report not evident for intern positions and more fewer than 20 employees and firms
offering sign-on bonuses during pronounced for staff architect posi- with more than 250 employees. For
2004, and an additional 5% report tions as well as for managers and midlevel principals and partners,
using them rarely (Exhibit 2.5). department heads. Compensation the compensation spread by size of
Larger firms, however, were much differences for principal and partner firm widens considerably. At firms
more likely to offer sign-on bonuses. positions are even more pronounced with 250 employees or more, com-
In fact, about half of firms with more when comparing averages across pensation for these positions aver-
than 50 employees offered sign-on firm size categories, particularly for ages more than $150,000 in excess
bonuses in 2004. more senior positions. of typical compensation at firms with
For example, even though fewer than 10 employees. However,
Larger Firms Offer Higher junior principals and partners are the range is much smaller, under
Compensation for Principals relatively uncommon positions at $20,000, when comparing aver-
and Partners smaller firms, the difference in com- age compensation for this position
Variation in compensation by pensation for these positions is less at firms with between 20 and 250
the size of the firm is somewhat than $30,000 between firms with employees.
For senior principals and part-
ners, the compensation range
widens to over $200,000 when com-
EXHIBIT 2.6 Compensation Range for Principals and Partners Greater at Larger Firms paring averages for firms with 250 or
average compensation including bonuses, profit sharing, more employees with firms of fewer
and other incentive compensation, 2005 than 10 employees. Given the broad
range of responsibilities associated
Number of employees
Senior Midlevel Junior with this position, the range of com-
principal/partner principal/partner principal/partner pensation is not limited to differences
Under 10 $119,400 $108,500 $96,400 between very large and smaller
10 to 19 163,300 127,200 96,000 firms, but runs throughout the spec-
20 to 49 205,100 141,200 110,500 trum of firm sizes (Exhibit 2.6).
With this added compensation
50 to 99 233,400 149,000 116,600
for principals and partners at larger
100 to 249 229,400 159,000 122,700
firms come higher shares of compen-
250 or more 321,800 264,500 125,700 sation related to firm or individual
performance. For typical staff posi-
tions, overtime and incentive com-
pensation usually averages about 5%
EXHIBIT 2.7 Base Salary Smaller Share of Compensation to 10% of base salaries. For principals
for Principals and Partners at Larger Firms
and partners, bonuses, profit shar-
base salary as % of compensation (compensation includes bonuses, ing, and other incentive compensa-
profit sharing, and other incentive compensation), 2005 tion average a much higher share of
80% compensation, generally about 30%
of base salary.
70
While incentive compensation is
60 72% 70%
69% a high share of compensation for all
50 60% principals and partners, it is an even
40 higher share at larger firms. For prin-
30 cipals and partners at firms with 100
20
or more employees, base salaries
averaged only 60% of compensation
10
in 2004. At firms with fewer than 20
0 employees, base salaries for princi-
Under 20 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 or more
pals and partners averaged 72% of
Number of Employees compensation in 2004 (Exhibit 2.7).

12 C O M P E N S AT I O N AT A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

III. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

A higher share of architecture

firms is offering standard ben-
efits to their employees than in
20 02. For example, dependent EXHIBIT 3.1 More Firms Offer Standard Benefits
medical care was offered by 56% of % of firms offering benefit
the firms in 2002, compared with
84% in 2005. The same is true for
100%
defined-contribution retirement
plans (67% in 2002 vs. 82% in 2005) 94% 92%
80
as well as dental coverage, life 84% 82%
insurance, and long-term disability
60 67%
insurance (Exhibit 3.1). 62% 59%
56% 54%
Along with dependent medi-
40 47% 49%
cal care, other less popular benefits 40%
such as flexible spending accounts,
20
paid maternity leave, and paid fam-
ily leave gained the most in terms of
0
the share of firms offering such ben-
Medical Medical Defined- Dental Life Long-term
efits, even though they are still only coverage / coverage / contribution insurance disability
offered by fewer than 50% of firms. employee dependents retirement plan
Firms are probably attempting to
provide better benefits as a way to 2005 2002
attract new employees, as well as
to increase retention and thereby
reduce turnover costs.

EXHIBIT 3.2 Employee Medical Coverage Continues to Be the Most Widespread Benefit Offered

Number of Employees

Fewer 250 All firms All firms

than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 or more 2005 2002
Medical coverage/employee 84% 91% 97% 97% 98% 100% 100% 94% 92%
Medical coverage/dependents 62 75 88 91 97 100 100 84 56
Defined-contribution retirement plan 53 71 88 94 98 98 100 82 67
Dental 39 42 61 81 97 100 100 62 47
Life insurance 30 41 56 80 97 97 100 59 49
Long-term disability insurance 19 30 56 78 95 97 100 54 40
Vision 24 26 39 53 68 68 69 40 29
Short-term disability insurance 19 21 37 53 71 78 92 39 27
Flexible spending accounts 15 16 32 60 82 89 92 38 24
Paid maternity leave 19 25 33 46 57 62 46 35 17
Transportation subsidy 21 26 29 33 38 54 85 30 N/A

Paid family leave 19 18 23 33 40 31 31 25 11

Defined-benefit (pension) plan 6 9 15 12 14 9 0 12 12
Long-term care 6 6 7 19 20 26 23 11 N/A

Other 7 13 16 21 26 37 23 17 12

13 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 For most benefits, there is a
direct relationship between firm
size and the likelihood of their being
offered. For instance, the share of
firms offering medical coverage rises
from 84% for the smallest firms to
100% for the largest firms. Similarly,
dental coverage is offered by 39% of
the smallest firms but by all of the
largest firms, with shares increasing
along with firm size.
Defined-benefit pension plans
are currently offered by only 12% of
firms. This benefit is losing ground
given the increasing use of defined-
contribution retirement plans (e.g.,
401k). Moreover, long-term care
is currently offered by only 11%
of firms, the lowest share of any
single benefit covered in the sur-
vey. However, about a quarter of
firms with more than 100 employees
offer this benefit, as do about a fifth
of firms with 20 to 99 employees.
This finding indicates that while the
number of firms that offer this ben-
efit is relatively low, the actual share
of employees who receive it may
be higher, since it is offered more
often by firms with relatively larger
staffs (Exhibit 3.2).
Medical Coverage
Medical coverage for employees
continues to be the most widespread
benefit offered by architecture firms,
as it is provided by 94% of the firms
in the survey. Among smaller firms,
only a slightly lower percentage offer
this benefit compared to large firms,
and it is virtually universal within
the latter.
Medical coverage for depen-
dents is not as common, even though
it is the second most common benefit
firms offer. In fact, while 84% of firms
in the survey offer this benefit, the
share is notably lower for firms with
fewer than 10 employees.
A significant share of smaller
firms offer employee medical cover-
age option but do not underwrite the
cost to the employee. Between 7%
and 15% of firms with fewer than 20
employees either do not offer medi-
cal coverage, or offer it but do not
contribute a portion of the premium
(Exhibit 3.3). And while nearly all
larger firms offer medical cover-
age and pay all or part of the cost,
the share of small firms paying for
medical coverage in full is larger
than the share for their larger coun-
terparts. Conversely, paying in part
for medical coverage seems to be
directly correlated with firm size,
as only about a third of firms with
fewer than 20 employees pay part of
the cost, compared with more than

EXHIBIT 3.3 More than Half of Firms Pay All of the Cost of Employee Medical Coverage
medical coverage—employee only (percent of firms)

Number of Employees

Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more All firms 2005

Firm offers, pays in full 56% 64% 62% 51% 22% 22% 23% 55%
Firm offers, pays in part 29 29 37 49 76 78 77 41
Firm offers, pays nothing 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
Firm does not offer 14 6 1 0 0 0 0 3

EXHIBIT 3.4 Nearly 80% of Firms Pay at Least 75% of the Premium Cost for Employee Medical Coverage
medical coverage for employee—share of cost paid by the firm

Number of Employees

Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more All firms 2005

100% 65% 68% 63% 51% 22% 22% 23% 57%
75%–99% 15 12 17 29 39 49 69 21
50%–74% 13 13 17 17 30 22 8 17
25%–49% 4 4 3 2 6 5 0 3
0–24% 2 4 2 1 2 3 0 2

14 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

three-fourths of firms with more than
50 employees.
Despite the above differences,
the bottom line is that most firms
offer medical coverage for their
employees and pay part or all of
the cost. While the cost of coverage
is likely to be shared between the
employees and firms, a large share
of firms cover at least three-quarters
of the cost (Exhibit 3.4).
The results are different, how-
ever, for dependent medical cover-
age. Around two-thirds of firms with
fewer than 20 employees either do
not offer this benefit or offer it but do
not pay for it (Exhibit 3.5). The share
of larger firms offering and pay-
ing in part for this benefit is higher
(between 68% and 100% for firms
with 50 employees or more, depend-
ing on the specific size category).
Nevertheless, virtually none of the
large firms pays in full for depen-
dent coverage, while a tenth of firms
with fewer than 10 employees do so.
Yet, overall, a relatively high num-
ber of large and midsize firms pay at
least in part for dependent medical
coverage, while most of the smaller
firms do not.
Value of Benefits as Percentage
of Base Pay
The value of benefits as a percentage
of annual base pay is lower for small
firms (Exhibit 3.6). As discussed
above, these firms generally pro-
vide fewer benefits than their larger
counterparts. Variations in pay levels
across firm sizes will make a differ-
ence in terms of the value of benefits
as a share of annual base pay.
For instance, if a small firm
pays lower wages than a large firm
and offers fewer benefits (presum-
ably making the total cost of those
benefits lower), then the share of
the value of benefits to annual base
pay may not be lower for the small
firm than for the large firm. In other
words, fewer benefits combined
with lower wages at a small firm
may actually translate into compa-
rable shares of benefits to base pay
for both the large and small firms.
In general, however, larger firms do
provide more benefits relative to
compensation than smaller firms.
Incentives for Registration
As part of the benefits provided to
employees, a large proportion of
firms offer incentives for their staff
to become registered architects.
Larger firms are more likely to offer
incentives for registration, but only
marginally so. For instance, 61% of
firms with 5 to 9 employees provide
paid leave for taking the exam, com-
pared to 78% of firms with 100 to 249
employees and 62% of firms with
250 and more (Exhibit 3.7).
While the most widespread
incentive across all firms is paid

EXHIBIT 3.5 Most Firms Pay Only Part of the Cost of Dependent Medical Care
medical coverage—dependents (percent of firms)

Number of Employees

Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more All firms 2005

Firm offers, pays in full 10% 11% 6% 5% 1% 2% 0% 7%
Firm offers, pays in part 20 21 34 47 67 77 100 37
Firm offers, pays nothing 33 47 51 41 30 22 0 43
Firm does not offer 36 21 9 6 1 0 0 13

EXHIBIT 3.6 Value of Benefits as a Percentage of Total Base Pay Is Equal for Professional and Technical Positions
value of benefits—as percentage of annual base pay

Number of Employees

Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more All firms 2005

Professional staff 15% 17% 17% 21% 23% 24% 32% 19%
Technical and administrative staff 15 17 18 21 23 24 33 19
Part-time and hourly staff 12 13 15 19 20 20 32 16

15 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

leave for taking the exam, it is inter-
esting to note that reimbursement
for the exam fee, the second most
widespread incentive, is provided
by a much higher share of larger
firms that it is by their smaller coun-
terparts. This incentive is offered by
only 36% of firms with fewer than 5
employees and 47% of firms with 5
to 9 employees, while it is provided
by 79% of firms with 50 to 99 employ-
ees and 88% of firms with 100 to 249
employees.
Interestingly, the share of firms
offering paid leave for taking the
exam and exam fee reimbursements
is lower among firms with more
than 250 employees than it is among
firms with 100 to 249 employees.
Conversely, the share of firms offer-
ing reimbursement for preparatory
classes is higher for the largest firms
(62% for the 250+ employee firms vs.
46% for 100 to 249 employee firms).
Paid Days Off
Firms with fewer than 50 employees
offer their employees 11 vacation
days a year on average. The number
drops to 9 vacation days for firms
with 50 to 249 employees (however,
these firms offer more other paid
time off) and rises again to 11 days
for the largest firms (those with 250
employees or more) (Exhibit 3.8).
The largest firms offer the high-
est number of paid sick-leave days.
Paid sick-leave is five days in firms
with fewer than 50 employees, four
days in firms with 50 to 249 employ-
ees, and seven days in firms with 250
or more employees.
Firm size does influence to some
degree the number of total paid days
off. Firms with fewer than 10 employ-
ees offer a total of 25 days off on
average, firms with 10 to 49 employ-
ees average between 26 and 27 days
off, firms with 50 to 249 employees
offer 28 days off, and firms with 250
or more employees offer 30 days off.
Compared to 2002, nearly all
firm size categories reported an aver-
age increase of one to two days in
the total number of paid days off. The
largest rise in paid days off occurred
among firms with 250 or more
employees, jumping from 26 days in
2002 to 30 days in 2005.

EXHIBIT 3.7 Paid Leave for Taking the Exam Is the Most Widespread Incentive Offered for Registration
percent of firms offering incentive

Number of Employees
All firms
Registration incentives offered Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more 2005
Paid leave for taking the exam 45% 61% 66% 69% 68% 78% 62% 64%
Reimbursement for exam fee 36 47 58 64 79 88 69 57
Reimbursement for preparatory courses 18 21 30 24 29 46 62 26
Other 6 14 21 25 32 25 31 20

EXHIBIT 3.8 Total Number of Paid Days Off Is Higher for Larger Firms
average paid days off by firm size

Number of Employees

Fewer than 5 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more All firms 2005

Professional staff 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Technical and administrative staff 11 11 11 11 9 9 11 11
Part-time and hourly staff 5 5 5 5 4 4 7 5
Other paid time off 2 2 3 4 7 8 5 3
Total 25 25 26 27 28 28 30 26

16 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

I V. C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S
Compensation Table Coverage
The data in the following compen-
sation tables were included only if
they met strict reporting criteria. For
a geographic area to be reported, at
least 10 offices (establishments) had
to respond to the AIA survey. Within
the tables, at least five respond-
ing offices were required in order
to report mean/median data, and
at least seven responding offices to
report upper and lower quartile data
for a position. Positions for which
fewer than five offices responded
were not included. A blank space in
a table indicates insufficient infor-
mation to report that piece of data.
In addition, data were suppressed in
instances where small sample sizes
produced other discrepancies.
Following the table of national
data, the first set of tables in this sec-
tion reports compensation data for
D E FINITIONS OF MSAs
B Y C OUNTY/CITY
Atlanta, GA: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll,
Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, De
Kalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton,
Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding,
Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, Walton
Austin-San Marcos, TX: Bastrop,
Caldwell, Hays, Travis, Williamson
Baltimore, MD: Anne Arundel, Baltimore,
Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford, Howard,
Queen Anne’s
Boston, MA-NH: Bristol, Essex,
Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth,
Rockingham, Suffolk, Worcester
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC:
Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg,
Rowan, Union, York
Chicago, IL: Cook, De Kalb, Du Page,
Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry,
Will
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: Boone (OH),
Boone (KY), Brown, Campbell, Clermont,
Dearborn, Gallatin, Grant, Hamilton,
Kenton, Ohio, Pendleton, Warren
17 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S
36 positions by six firm size catego-
ries, from fewer than 10 employees
to 250 or more employees. The next
set of tables reports data by the nine
regions of the country. The remain-
ing tables report data for 30 states
and 33 Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (MSAs). The tables are orga-
nized alphabetically by state, with
the metro area tables following the
appropriate state. In cases where
enough responses were received to
report data at more detailed levels
(e.g., city), those tables follow the
appropriate metro area table.
For all compensation tables,
the mean, median, and upper and
lower quartiles include base pay
only. The mean gives the average
annual full-time base pay for each
position. The lower quartile marks
where 25% of the reported values
are lower than the figure given and
Columbus, OH: Delaware, Fairfield,
Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway
Dallas, TX: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis,
Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall
Denver, CO: Adams, Arapahoe, Denver,
Douglas, Jefferson
Houston, TX: Chambers, Fort Bend,
Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller
Kansas City, MO-KS: Cass, Clay,
Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette,
Leavenworth, Miami, Platte, Ray,
Wyandotte
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA: Los Angeles
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI:
Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington,
Waukesha
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI: Anoka,
Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin,
Isanti, Pierce, Ramsey, Saint Croix, Scott,
Sherburne, Washington, Wright
New York, NY: Bronx, Kings, New York,
Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland,
Westchester
Orange County, CA: Orange
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
75% are higher. The median is the
midpoint in the range of values,
where 50% are higher than the fig-
ure given and 50% are lower. The
upper quartile marks where 75% of
the reported values are lower than
the figure given and 25% are higher.
Mean additional cash is additional
cash compensation beyond base
pay, including overtime pay (discre-
tionary and/or mandated by law),
bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other
cash compensation. The value of
employee benefits is not included,
but chapter III provides information
on this subject.
Metropolitan area results are
based on linking reported ZIP Codes
to standard MSAs as defined by
the U.S. Office of Management and
Budget. Most MSAs encompass a
number of counties. MSAs reported
in this survey are listed below.
Philadelphia, PA-NJ: Bucks, Burlington,
Camden, Chester, Delaware, Gloucester,
Montgomery, Philadelphia, Salem
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ: Maricopa, Pinal
Pittsburgh, PA: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler,
Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland
Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA: Clackamas,
Clark, Columbia, Multnomah,
Washington, Yamhill
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC:
Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston,
Orange, Wake
Richmond-Petersburg, VA: Charles City,
Chesterfield, Colonial Heights City,
Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico,
Hopewell City, New Kent, Petersburg City,
Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond City
Sacramento, CA: El Dorado, Placer,
Sacramento
St. Louis, MO-IL: Clinton, Franklin,
Jefferson, Jersey, Lincoln, Madison,
Monroe, Saint Charles, St. Clair, St. Louis,
St. Louis City, Warren
Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT: Davis, Salt
Lake, Weber
San Antonio, TX: Bexar, Comal,
Guadalupe, Wilson
San Diego, CA: San Diego
San Francisco, CA: Marin, San Francisco,
San Mateo
San Jose, CA: Santa Clara
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA: Island,
King, Snohomish
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL:
Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV: Alexandria
City, Arlington, Berkeley, Calvert, Charles,
Clarke, Culpeper, District of Columbia,
Fairfax, Fairfax City, Falls Church City,
Fauquier, Frederick, Fredericksburg
City, Jefferson, King George, Loudoun,
Manassas City, Manassas Park City,
Montgomery, Prince Georges, Prince
William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren
D E FINITIONS OF POSITIONS
Department head/senior manager:
Senior management architect or nonreg-
istered graduate; responsible for major
department(s) or functions; reports to
a principal or partner.
Project manager: Licensed architect or
nonregistered graduate with more than
10 years of experience; has overall project
management responsibility for a variety
of projects or project teams, including
client contact, scheduling, and budgeting.
Senior architect/designer: Licensed
architect or nonregistered graduate with
more than 10 years of experience; has a
design or technical focus and is respon-
sible for significant project activities.
Architect/designer III: Licensed architect
or nonregistered graduate with 8–10
years of experience; responsible for
significant aspects of projects.
Architect/designer II: Licensed archi-
tect or nonregistered graduate with 6–8
years of experience; responsible for daily
design or technical development of
project.
18 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S
Architect/designer I: Recently licensed Specification writer: Creates specifica-
architect or nonregistered graduate with tions, compiles and coordinates
3–5 years of experience; responsible for specification documents.
particular parts of a project within param-
CAD manager: Responsible for
eters set by others.
implementation, standards, upgrades,
Third-year intern: Unlicensed architecture and training of CAD technology.
school graduate in third year of intern-
Architectural drafter: Responsible for
ship; develops design or technical
drafting, picking up redlines, and limited
solutions under supervision of an
design drafting.
architect.
Controller: Analyzes financial status of
Second-year intern: Intern in second year
organization and directs preparation of
of internship.
operating budgets.
Entry-level intern: Intern in first year of
Bookkeeper: Maintains and records
internship.
business transactions; balances ledgers
Student: Currently enrolled in an and prepares payroll/accounting reports.
academic architecture program.
Accounting clerk: Handles payroll,
Senior principal/partner: Typically an accounts payable/receivable, etc.
owner or majority shareholder of the
Business development manager:
firm; may be the founder; titles may
Responsible for developing new business
include President, CEO, or Managing
leads by seeking out and establishing
Principal/Partner.
opportunities with potential clients.
Midlevel principal/partner: Principal or
Marketing manager: Manages production
partner; titles may include Executive or
and staffing of marketing support
Senior Vice President.
materials and proposals.
Junior principal/partner: Recently made
Marketing assistant: Provides proposal
a partner or principal of the firm; titles
production support and administrative
may include Vice President or Associate
support to aid marketing/business
Principal.
development.
Engineer (mechanical/electrical/
Human Resources director: Responsible
plumbing)—up to 5 years of experience.
for HR in a multioffice firm.
Engineer (mechanical/electrical/
Human Resources manager: Responsible
plumbing)—more than 5 years of
for HR in a single office.
experience.
Office manager: Responsible for admin-
Engineer (civil/structural)—up to 5 years
istrative support services, facilities, office
of experience.
equipment, vendors, etc.
Engineer (civil/structural)—more than 5
Administrative assistant: Responsible for
years of experience.
secretarial duties for a department,
Interior designer—up to 5 years of studio, or individual.
experience.
Receptionist: Greets clients; answers
Interior designer—more than 5 years of phone/switchboard; may have secretarial/
experience. administrative duties.
Graphic designer: Responsible for print, Librarian: Responsible for cataloging and
multimedia, Web, and/or environmental research of books, samples, and products.
graphic design.
Construction administrator: Works with
contractors ensuring that the design
intent is followed.
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
 N AT I O N A L : A L L F I R M S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,700 $72,000 $85,600 $100,000 $11,300 717 1835
Project manager 71,900 61,000 73,000 80,700 5,500 887 2864
Senior architect/designer 68,700 60,000 68,900 78,300 4,300 698 2511
Architect/designer III 57,500 50,800 58,000 64,400 3,300 630 2155
Architect/designer II 49,800 45,000 50,000 55,000 2,600 734 2504
Architect/designer I 42,200 37,700 41,600 46,000 2,100 774 2395
Third-year intern 39,800 35,000 39,700 45,000 2,100 511 1156
Second-year intern 36,200 33,600 35,900 39,600 1,600 384 768
Entry-level intern 33,100 30,000 34,000 36,000 1,500 339 684
Student 25,100 20,400 25,000 29,000 500 217 393
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 51,400 46,500 51,500 57,800 1,100 84 334
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 75,500 71,000 77,500 81,800 2,600 116 839
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 54,900 47,200 59,000 59,000 1,000 62 302
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 74,500 68,400 76,000 80,000 3,100 97 640
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,200 35,000 38,900 44,800 1,900 311 755
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 58,900 50,000 58,000 67,500 3,400 339 1031
Landscape architect 57,500 50,100 56,300 63,000 2,300 94 251
Urban planner 62,200 50,700 61,300 71,100 4,000 50 177
Graphic designer 47,100 40,000 46,100 54,500 2,100 152 319
Construction administrator 62,600 55,000 63,000 70,000 4,300 244 559
Specification writer 65,800 55,800 65,600 74,000 3,500 121 173
CAD manager 56,000 45,000 57,000 66,700 1,900 208 312
Architectural drafter 37,800 33,000 37,100 42,500 1,500 381 1110
IT manager/director 68,800 54,700 65,000 83,400 3,900 214 248
Controller 73,000 55,300 68,600 85,600 6,000 276 297
Bookkeeper 42,000 35,000 40,200 50,000 2,300 405 474
Accounting clerk 38,300 34,000 39,100 41,000 1,300 195 450
Business Development manager 77,100 60,000 75,500 90,000 4,900 167 196
Marketing manager 66,100 50,000 61,700 75,600 2,600 259 346
Marketing assistant 42,800 36,600 42,500 50,600 1,500 260 509
Human Resources director 76,400 57,300 73,400 90,800 6,000 71 72
Human Resources manager 54,900 43,300 52,000 66,800 3,000 71 72
Office manager 43,700 34,300 42,000 51,100 2,300 500 533
Administrative assistant 37,100 33,400 37,100 41,000 1,200 489 1457
Receptionist 29,600 25,400 30,000 33,700 900 512 576
Librarian 40,200 31,000 43,100 47,900 1,500 55 69

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

19 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : F E W E R T H A N 10 E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $76,100 $57,600 $75,000 $88,500 $8,600 175 237
Project manager 63,300 53,000 60,000 72,300 4,000 201 267
Senior architect/designer 57,500 51,000 55,000 63,600 2,900 132 162
Architect/designer III 50,000 43,200 49,000 55,000 2,900 108 134
Architect/designer II 45,500 40,000 45,000 50,000 2,500 150 197
Architect/designer I 39,500 36,000 40,000 44,000 1,800 202 287
Third-year intern 38,300 33,600 38,000 44,000 1,700 124 155
Second-year intern 33,500 30,000 34,000 36,000 1,200 98 114
Entry-level intern 30,300 26,000 30,000 34,000 900 65 71
Student 23,200 20,400 22,900 26,000 600 49 57
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,300 30,000 36,000 47,500 1,600 31 37
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 47,800 38,900 45,500 56,800 1,600 26 26
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 54,600 41,500 53,500 64,400 2,700 22 24
Specification writer
CAD manager 41,600 35,000 41,300 45,000 2,200 28 31
Architectural drafter 34,100 28,100 33,000 38,000 1,400 93 124
IT manager/director
Controller 50,900 40,000 45,500 57,800 3,100 22 22
Bookkeeper 33,300 28,000 35,000 40,000 1,200 69 69
Accounting clerk 26,100 23,200 2,300 5 5
Business Development manager 77,800 90,000 1,300 5 5
Marketing manager 48,700 40,300 48,000 52,500 800 10 10
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 37,000 30,000 35,000 42,000 2,000 149 149
Administrative assistant 29,700 26,000 30,000 33,000 900 54 55
Receptionist 26,900 21,200 26,000 31,500 700 35 35
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

20 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : 10 TO 19 E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $82,000 $65,000 $78,000 $91,300 $9,200 200 334
Project manager 64,000 55,000 61,400 72,000 5,100 271 532
Senior architect/designer 59,700 50,000 58,300 69,700 3,400 190 317
Architect/designer III 51,900 45,800 51,000 58,200 3,500 171 276
Architect/designer II 46,400 42,000 45,000 51,000 2,700 211 402
Architect/designer I 40,200 36,000 40,000 43,100 2,400 220 428
Third-year intern 37,800 33,000 37,800 41,700 1,800 144 245
Second-year intern 34,400 32,000 34,400 37,000 1,800 98 135
Entry-level intern 30,700 28,000 30,300 34,000 1,000 95 124
Student 23,100 20,000 24,000 26,000 500 60 79
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 44,700 41,000 1,700 5 7
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,400 64,500 70,600 80,000 3,900 12 22
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 70,700 65,000 70,000 81,700 5,300 9 9
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,300 30,000 35,000 44,600 2,000 77 109
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 52,000 42,000 49,800 60,000 3,100 75 108
Landscape architect 54,100 43,000 50,300 64,000 3,100 12 25
Urban planner 46,200 45,100 800 5 6
Graphic designer 40,400 35,000 40,000 45,000 2,800 20 28
Construction administrator 58,800 48,000 59,000 68,000 3,300 66 86
Specification writer 61,200 50,000 60,000 74,000 1,400 14 15
CAD manager 45,200 36,800 43,700 50,300 2,500 43 46
Architectural drafter 34,800 30,800 34,000 38,400 1,700 114 240
IT manager/director 48,600 36,000 52,200 61,300 1,300 12 12
Controller 60,000 43,000 54,100 70,000 6,300 45 47
Bookkeeper 37,800 31,600 38,000 42,900 2,700 131 137
Accounting clerk 33,200 27,500 35,000 37,700 1,100 21 21
Business Development manager 63,600 45,000 58,000 74,300 3,000 28 29
Marketing manager 46,900 37,000 42,000 60,000 2,300 33 33
Marketing assistant 38,500 32,000 35,500 47,300 1,300 28 29
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,500 32,500 38,800 45,000 2,300 143 143
Administrative assistant 31,600 27,100 32,000 36,400 1,400 119 132
Receptionist 28,000 24,000 27,500 31,900 900 128 133
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

21 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : 2 0 TO 4 9 E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,100 $70,000 $80,000 $95,000 $10,500 210 531
Project manager 69,900 60,000 69,500 76,700 6,500 258 831
Senior architect/designer 65,400 56,200 63,800 74,200 4,600 227 640
Architect/designer III 56,300 49,900 55,000 63,000 3,500 201 565
Architect/designer II 48,800 44,400 48,000 54,000 2,700 232 683
Architect/designer I 42,400 38,000 42,000 46,000 2,100 217 664
Third-year intern 40,200 36,000 40,000 45,000 2,400 150 345
Second-year intern 36,600 33,000 37,000 40,000 2,000 110 216
Entry-level intern 32,900 30,000 33,100 36,000 1,200 97 170
Student 23,600 19,900 24,000 29,500 400 62 101
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 51,200 45,000 48,000 55,500 2,300 20 37
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,400 59,500 75,000 82,300 3,600 37 137
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 56,900 40,300 53,000 75,000 3,200 9 15
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,200 60,100 70,700 80,000 3,600 27 92
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,700 34,500 38,500 45,000 2,300 87 147
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 52,800 45,000 53,000 58,000 3,000 115 232
Landscape architect 56,000 48,600 54,000 62,200 2,500 26 45
Urban planner 58,500 49,900 50,700 68,900 2,800 10 17
Graphic designer 43,600 35,600 44,000 51,500 2,100 42 51
Construction administrator 57,700 50,000 57,000 64,900 4,500 85 161
Specification writer 58,800 48,000 57,000 69,400 4,400 38 40
CAD manager 53,300 43,300 53,300 60,000 2,400 53 60
Architectural drafter 38,000 32,500 37,300 44,200 1,400 105 297
IT manager/director 58,000 48,700 54,100 65,000 2,900 84 85
Controller 65,800 53,000 62,800 76,400 4,800 102 104
Bookkeeper 45,500 38,800 45,000 52,200 2,200 129 134
Accounting clerk 35,700 30,000 35,000 41,300 1,600 59 69
Business Development manager 72,100 60,000 70,000 84,500 3,900 66 68
Marketing manager 55,100 44,800 53,000 62,500 3,000 104 107
Marketing assistant 39,900 35,000 40,000 45,000 1,700 90 103
Human Resources director 60,100 45,000 53,600 70,000 3,100 8 8
Human Resources manager 50,400 39,300 49,200 64,800 2,300 11 12
Office manager 47,200 37,600 45,800 55,000 2,900 121 122
Administrative assistant 35,300 30,000 35,000 40,000 1,300 168 265
Receptionist 29,400 25,000 29,000 32,900 1,000 205 212
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

22 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : 5 0 TO 9 9 E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $89,600 $77,000 $88,200 $103,000 $13,800 70 278

Project manager 75,200 65,000 76,000 85,000 4,700 84 462
Senior architect/designer 71,200 65,000 70,000 80,000 4,000 82 521
Architect/designer III 58,000 51,000 56,500 63,800 3,400 78 409
Architect/designer II 49,500 45,000 48,000 54,000 2,000 75 406
Architect/designer I 42,500 38,100 42,400 45,500 2,200 70 336
Third-year intern 41,200 38,000 40,000 44,700 2,300 50 141
Second-year intern 38,100 35,600 38,000 40,000 1,300 41 114
Entry-level intern 34,100 32,000 34,600 38,400 2,000 36 83
Student 28,000 22,800 28,000 31,200 200 20 39
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 49,500 44,800 47,300 56,000 1,000 26 77
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,000 71,000 75,800 81,800 2,200 32 176
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 47,500 44,000 45,300 48,800 1,100 21 54
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,200 63,400 71,200 76,000 2,100 27 96
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,700 35,000 39,500 45,000 1,400 55 115
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,900 51,400 62,100 70,400 2,900 61 178
Landscape architect 57,100 51,300 56,000 59,700 2,900 24 54
Urban planner 62,300 47,600 61,300 72,400 4,000 11 30
Graphic designer 51,600 45,000 50,700 60,300 2,800 37 66
Construction administrator 69,000 60,000 69,300 79,100 2,700 43 102
Specification writer 70,800 60,400 73,000 79,400 4,200 27 30
CAD manager 57,300 45,800 55,000 65,000 2,600 39 43
Architectural drafter 40,500 34,500 39,700 45,000 1,700 40 213
IT manager/director 68,500 57,500 65,300 80,500 4,400 52 57
Controller 84,600 68,000 81,800 94,200 7,400 48 48
Bookkeeper 45,900 36,000 42,800 58,800 2,600 38 47
Accounting clerk 38,700 33,500 40,000 43,700 1,200 47 67
Business Development manager 80,900 67,300 80,000 95,600 9,400 27 29
Marketing manager 65,200 57,500 64,000 72,000 3,500 53 67
Marketing assistant 41,600 35,800 40,600 45,800 1,900 71 112
Human Resources director 67,100 53,700 64,000 75,100 5,300 18 18
Human Resources manager 51,400 42,800 50,500 61,600 2,900 27 27
Office manager 48,600 37,400 50,000 56,000 2,500 47 51
Administrative assistant 37,700 32,900 36,500 42,400 1,000 76 267
Receptionist 30,400 27,000 30,000 35,000 800 76 84
Librarian 37,100 30,000 32,500 48,000 1,100 13 13

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

23 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : 10 0 TO 2 4 9 E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $99,600 $89,000 $99,400 $108,100 $12,500 50 258

Project manager 80,000 73,200 78,600 86,000 5,300 61 524
Senior architect/designer 73,500 66,300 72,200 80,500 4,900 56 649
Architect/designer III 61,300 55,000 62,300 66,000 3,000 60 551
Architect/designer II 54,500 49,600 56,800 59,000 2,500 54 549
Architect/designer I 45,500 40,500 46,000 50,000 1,900 54 443
Third-year intern 42,100 36,500 45,100 46,000 1,500 37 207
Second-year intern 38,200 35,900 37,800 41,000 800 31 135
Entry-level intern 35,300 34,000 36,000 37,200 1,500 39 171
Student 27,800 23,000 27,600 34,000 700 21 85
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 49,900 46,500 49,600 51,500 1,000 25 109
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 75,100 71,300 76,200 85,000 2,900 27 338
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 54,000 48,000 51,900 60,000 1,100 20 101
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,300 71,600 80,000 80,000 2,300 24 277
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,000 35,500 40,000 44,000 1,700 51 267
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 62,600 52,400 65,000 69,500 3,100 52 357
Landscape architect 58,900 51,900 57,800 70,000 1,700 24 87
Urban planner 61,500 45,900 63,800 66,900 7,300 16 50
Graphic designer 47,800 40,000 47,400 54,000 2,000 38 121
Construction administrator 66,600 63,000 67,800 70,800 1,500 23 124
Specification writer 68,400 60,000 67,100 73,900 3,100 32 58
CAD manager 60,900 46,800 58,000 73,500 2,300 37 52
Architectural drafter 39,800 35,300 39,300 43,900 1,400 24 212
IT manager/director 82,800 70,000 81,400 94,500 5,400 52 59
Controller 87,700 72,900 83,000 100,000 9,000 49 52
Bookkeeper 48,100 40,200 47,000 54,200 2,100 35 70
Accounting clerk 39,200 34,000 39,000 41,300 1,200 51 154
Business Development manager 88,000 77,300 86,800 102,200 4,700 35 57
Marketing manager 65,600 57,600 65,000 73,000 2,200 46 69
Marketing assistant 41,900 36,000 40,100 49,200 1,500 57 127
Human Resources director 84,800 70,000 80,200 91,800 6,800 35 35
Human Resources manager 59,500 48,300 56,100 71,500 3,100 22 22
Office manager 55,700 46,500 52,000 58,000 2,600 35 39
Administrative assistant 38,900 36,900 38,300 42,200 1,000 60 485
Receptionist 32,000 28,000 31,400 35,400 800 58 74
Librarian 42,800 33,000 44,200 48,500 1,200 26 34

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

24 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F I R M S I Z E : 2 5 0 O R M O R E E M P LOY E E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $102,800 $93,400 $100,000 $113,600 $15,300 12 197

Project manager 81,400 75,000 80,000 90,700 6,500 12 248
Senior architect/designer 78,700 72,900 76,800 85,100 5,100 11 222
Architect/designer III 61,300 60,000 60,000 64,500 3,200 12 220
Architect/designer II 51,800 48,800 51,800 55,000 3,900 12 267
Architect/designer I 41,600 37,400 39,600 45,000 2,700 11 237
Third-year intern 39,100 38,000 4,600 6 63
Second-year intern 36,300 35,600 2,400 6 54
Entry-level intern 34,600 32,100 34,000 36,000 3,000 7 65
Student 27,000 28,000 300 5 32
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 55,100 54,200 900 6 102
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 79,900 77,800 79,800 79,800 1,300 7 165
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 58,500 59,000 59,000 59,000 600 8 126
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 75,800 70,400 75,500 82,200 4,600 8 163
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,100 37,800 38,900 44,800 2,100 10 80
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 65,000 56,500 64,400 72,000 6,300 10 130
Landscape architect 59,500 61,400 61,400 61,400 1,800 7 38
Urban planner 65,600 71,100 2,400 5 69
Graphic designer 47,900 42,800 45,000 55,200 1,300 11 49
Construction administrator 65,400 57,700 13,800 5 62
Specification writer 67,300 58,600 67,600 71,400 3,400 7 26
CAD manager 65,900 66,700 66,700 66,700 500 8 80
Architectural drafter 44,400 45,200 1,500 5 24
IT manager/director 82,300 61,400 87,000 90,000 3,600 11 32
Controller 94,700 85,600 85,600 98,200 3,600 10 24
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk 39,800 38,000 41,000 41,000 1,100 12 134
Business Development manager 76,800 67,400 6,600 6 8
Marketing manager 100,500 75,500 118,000 118,000 2,100 13 60
Marketing assistant 47,700 44,100 50,600 50,600 900 12 136
Human Resources director 99,700 110,400 10,200 6 7
Human Resources manager 69,600 48,000 72,000 85,700 5,000 7 7
Office manager 59,100 57,400 500 5 29
Administrative assistant 39,100 37,100 37,100 41,200 1,500 12 253
Receptionist 32,800 30,700 33,700 33,700 300 10 38
Librarian 47,000 43,100 45,000 48,500 2,600 7 13

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

25 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 REGION 1: NEW ENGLAND

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,600 $75,000 $87,500 $89,000 $9,900 39 94

Project manager 70,600 63,500 73,000 76,400 3,500 61 189
Senior architect/designer 70,800 61,600 75,000 78,300 2,300 45 176
Architect/designer III 60,200 55,000 63,000 65,200 1,900 35 117
Architect/designer II 51,100 45,800 49,900 56,100 2,200 46 165
Architect/designer I 43,600 39,000 42,400 46,800 1,500 49 127
Third-year intern 42,900 39,200 44,000 45,800 2,400 29 69
Second-year intern 38,800 36,100 39,000 42,000 1,600 25 44
Entry-level intern 33,800 32,900 34,500 36,000 1,400 24 45
Student 31,400 30,000 34,100 34,100 400 17 39
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 54,600 50,000 1,900 5 13
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 79,200 80,200 3,500 5 52
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,200 36,200 37,400 40,000 1,300 14 20
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,500 51,000 60,500 67,500 2,100 22 57
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 52,700 46,800 48,100 62,300 2,600 14 26
Construction administrator 69,300 66,500 72,000 77,000 2,000 14 38
Specification writer 64,500 63,000 3,600 6 9
CAD manager 50,400 45,300 47,900 61,400 300 8 8
Architectural drafter 38,800 31,900 35,000 45,000 1,500 12 31
IT manager/director 75,500 64,800 76,800 86,300 3,700 18 22
Controller 81,000 60,800 80,000 96,800 5,200 25 25
Bookkeeper 43,900 35,000 41,600 56,800 1,400 23 26
Accounting clerk 40,900 35,300 41,200 45,700 800 12 21
Business Development manager 90,600 72,500 86,600 106,400 3,000 10 14
Marketing manager 63,100 49,500 63,500 73,500 2,800 21 25
Marketing assistant 40,400 36,500 41,300 44,100 1,600 19 26
Human Resources director 74,900 81,900 5,100 6 6
Human Resources manager
Office manager 42,900 32,000 38,000 52,500 1,700 29 33
Administrative assistant 37,300 33,800 35,000 43,000 600 29 82
Receptionist 31,800 28,000 32,000 35,000 900 25 25
Librarian 48,300 55,300 800 5 6

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

26 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 2 : M I D D L E AT L A N T I C

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $91,900 $77,000 $92,400 $100,000 $9,700 92 327

Project manager 73,600 65,000 74,400 82,600 5,000 114 462
Senior architect/designer 72,800 65,000 75,000 81,000 3,900 82 375
Architect/designer III 59,300 52,000 60,000 65,000 2,200 78 323
Architect/designer II 52,000 48,100 52,000 55,000 2,200 91 436
Architect/designer I 42,400 38,800 41,400 45,000 2,200 96 442
Third-year intern 38,800 32,000 39,800 44,800 1,800 59 148
Second-year intern 37,700 34,400 39,200 40,000 1,100 51 119
Entry-level intern 34,100 31,000 36,000 37,400 800 47 91
Student 26,800 25,000 28,000 30,000 700 33 92
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 52,400 46,600 54,200 54,200 1,400 12 59
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 80,100 71,300 80,000 87,600 3,000 15 128
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 54,900 47,800 60,000 60,000 1,100 9 46
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,600 70,400 80,000 80,000 2,200 14 120
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,000 37,200 41,000 44,800 1,300 39 110
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 61,900 51,000 64,400 70,400 1,700 39 158
Landscape architect 61,900 51,600 63,700 70,000 2,000 16 50
Urban planner 62,100 58,300 2,900 6 11
Graphic designer 50,700 45,000 50,000 54,400 1,300 21 43
Construction administrator 63,600 59,600 63,000 70,000 1,800 22 74
Specification writer 70,900 63,800 71,400 81,500 1,600 13 24
CAD manager 65,100 48,300 69,000 83,300 2,400 22 28
Architectural drafter 41,500 34,900 40,000 50,000 1,700 39 181
IT manager/director 76,600 61,900 73,800 90,000 3,600 26 30
Controller 79,400 59,800 72,500 98,400 4,500 42 42
Bookkeeper 47,000 40,000 45,600 54,300 1,300 46 54
Accounting clerk 40,800 35,000 38,000 49,800 1,300 28 81
Business Development manager 77,900 59,500 71,400 100,000 2,500 25 30
Marketing manager 63,700 53,000 65,000 71,900 2,100 38 47
Marketing assistant 41,100 37,000 39,800 45,000 2,200 36 65
Human Resources director 96,500 65,000 90,000 130,000 4,600 15 15
Human Resources manager 61,200 46,300 65,000 72,000 4,700 11 11
Office manager 47,400 36,300 45,000 55,000 2,300 64 64
Administrative assistant 38,900 35,000 38,300 41,200 900 55 231
Receptionist 31,800 28,000 31,000 35,000 900 64 71
Librarian 44,900 32,900 48,000 50,100 2,100 11 14

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

27 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 3 : E AS T N O R T H C E N T R A L

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,500 $69,000 $80,000 $100,000 $9,900 95 229

Project manager 71,800 62,000 74,600 78,800 5,000 117 398
Senior architect/designer 67,700 61,900 68,300 76,800 2,800 103 454
Architect/designer III 55,400 48,200 55,000 61,900 2,900 104 340
Architect/designer II 47,500 43,000 46,000 52,500 1,800 113 316
Architect/designer I 41,100 37,400 40,000 44,000 2,000 103 335
Third-year intern 40,000 36,500 40,000 45,100 1,900 60 143
Second-year intern 35,300 33,200 35,900 38,000 1,600 46 88
Entry-level intern 32,700 30,000 33,200 35,400 1,100 34 67
Student 23,500 20,000 23,200 28,800 300 35 52
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 48,500 46,200 46,700 53,800 1,600 18 53
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,200 65,000 74,000 79,800 1,900 28 152
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 56,200 42,000 53,000 76,500 2,600 13 39
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 71,400 63,800 70,000 77,700 3,800 22 133
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,700 34,500 37,300 40,600 1,200 43 126
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,800 50,000 62,900 70,700 3,100 51 179
Landscape architect 53,900 45,000 52,400 62,200 2,500 12 37
Urban planner 58,200 57,300 60,500 60,500 3,800 8 29
Graphic designer 48,600 42,000 51,900 55,000 1,400 18 40
Construction administrator 62,400 53,400 62,000 70,600 3,200 48 92
Specification writer 64,100 55,500 60,000 74,200 3,400 30 39
CAD manager 52,400 43,500 50,000 57,000 2,000 37 41
Architectural drafter 39,100 35,000 39,000 43,000 1,200 62 185
IT manager/director 65,900 53,500 65,300 83,500 4,300 30 31
Controller 73,800 52,800 64,500 86,900 5,100 32 32
Bookkeeper 39,700 32,000 39,800 48,300 1,800 59 63
Accounting clerk 35,400 31,000 35,000 40,000 800 30 56
Business Development manager 78,300 62,500 83,200 91,500 6,600 26 34
Marketing manager 63,200 55,000 60,000 74,300 3,200 31 35
Marketing assistant 38,400 33,700 37,000 42,000 1,500 33 49
Human Resources director 69,500 57,000 62,100 80,200 5,600 7 7
Human Resources manager 56,500 43,000 54,000 68,000 2,900 11 11
Office manager 41,900 35,000 40,000 46,700 1,800 64 65
Administrative assistant 35,800 31,600 37,000 39,800 900 70 194
Receptionist 28,500 25,000 28,000 31,000 800 74 80
Librarian 37,900 29,300 36,000 45,600 800 10 12

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

28 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 REGION 4: WEST NORTH CENTRAL

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,900 $75,000 $85,000 $96,200 $6,400 62 155

Project manager 74,300 61,600 74,000 89,000 4,100 79 240
Senior architect/designer 66,900 59,000 65,900 76,100 3,100 73 247
Architect/designer III 56,200 50,000 56,300 62,300 2,400 58 162
Architect/designer II 47,200 44,000 47,000 51,000 2,200 73 199
Architect/designer I 40,900 38,000 40,000 44,800 1,900 72 185
Third-year intern 39,300 36,900 38,000 40,600 1,400 40 102
Second-year intern 36,200 34,000 35,000 38,500 1,100 33 69
Entry-level intern 31,100 28,000 32,000 34,000 700 28 44
Student 22,700 20,000 23,000 25,000 100 21 41
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 53,700 50,000 58,000 58,500 300 16 101
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 77,500 74,300 79,800 79,800 400 19 196
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 54,400 51,900 59,000 59,000 100 14 151
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,200 71,600 80,000 82,200 400 20 198
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,000 33,000 37,200 41,400 1,000 40 87
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,500 46,400 53,700 67,100 2,000 43 112
Landscape architect 56,900 52,300 56,300 61,400 1,200 21 71
Urban planner 69,200 71,100 300 5 42
Graphic designer 41,700 38,300 42,800 42,800 800 18 45
Construction administrator 63,300 54,000 64,300 74,300 2,600 25 46
Specification writer 59,600 56,000 58,600 65,600 1,500 15 26
CAD manager 60,100 52,800 66,700 66,700 600 29 99
Architectural drafter 35,300 32,400 34,100 39,100 900 44 125
IT manager/director 64,600 56,500 61,400 67,600 1,600 24 37
Controller 76,700 60,400 83,000 85,600 3,200 31 45
Bookkeeper 43,800 35,000 42,100 52,900 2,900 43 56
Accounting clerk 38,000 35,200 41,000 41,000 200 29 116
Business Development manager 72,200 54,300 72,900 87,100 3,500 18 20
Marketing manager 85,700 60,000 85,000 118,000 1,100 35 83
Marketing assistant 46,400 43,500 50,600 50,600 300 36 145
Human Resources director 75,200 57,800 72,700 92,700 2,600 10 10
Human Resources manager 54,100 41,500 53,500 68,500 1,300 13 14
Office manager 48,100 36,200 55,000 57,400 700 40 67
Administrative assistant 36,100 35,500 37,100 37,100 300 46 236
Receptionist 29,000 25,000 29,000 33,700 500 52 79
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

29 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 5 : S O U T H AT L A N T I C

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,500 $70,000 $80,600 $101,900 $10,400 129 281
Project manager 72,300 63,300 73,100 80,800 5,900 157 443
Senior architect/designer 66,500 60,000 66,400 71,800 4,500 126 393
Architect/designer III 58,600 52,300 56,000 66,000 3,600 119 408
Architect/designer II 49,600 45,000 49,100 56,000 2,300 125 354
Architect/designer I 42,100 37,400 43,000 46,500 1,700 135 372
Third-year intern 42,200 37,000 44,800 47,900 1,800 90 196
Second-year intern 37,400 35,000 37,000 41,000 1,100 75 138
Entry-level intern 34,100 30,000 34,600 37,900 1,500 66 134
Student 26,900 22,400 27,600 30,000 500 32 49
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 49,300 46,200 50,400 52,900 1,300 16 52
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,700 68,500 78,000 87,700 3,300 20 133
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 51,000 43,000 48,900 53,000 1,500 9 18
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,300 71,800 80,000 80,000 4,700 10 48
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 42,000 36,200 39,500 50,000 1,900 60 163
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 58,100 49,800 55,000 67,800 2,600 72 213
Landscape architect 57,600 49,100 57,800 67,900 3,200 11 30
Urban planner 59,300 49,700 53,600 70,000 4,300 9 15
Graphic designer 45,500 37,900 46,100 52,600 2,100 20 46
Construction administrator 61,200 53,400 62,400 67,800 3,300 48 96
Specification writer 66,400 48,700 66,300 75,500 3,700 19 22
CAD manager 48,000 37,800 45,000 53,700 2,200 36 46
Architectural drafter 36,800 31,600 36,500 43,600 1,400 60 136
IT manager/director 66,100 48,800 60,000 82,900 3,300 39 40
Controller 70,100 53,300 64,500 84,000 5,900 42 44
Bookkeeper 41,000 33,600 40,000 49,500 2,300 74 89
Accounting clerk 38,800 35,000 40,200 41,200 1,500 26 47
Business Development manager 70,900 51,800 70,000 82,200 4,000 26 33
Marketing manager 58,500 45,000 55,000 69,300 2,300 46 51
Marketing assistant 39,000 32,500 37,700 46,000 1,500 44 72
Human Resources director 75,900 63,500 72,200 90,300 6,900 10 10
Human Resources manager 49,900 43,500 48,200 53,600 2,400 12 12
Office manager 41,700 31,500 40,200 48,000 2,500 98 98
Administrative assistant 35,700 32,300 36,100 39,700 1,000 83 201
Receptionist 29,500 25,000 29,700 32,200 900 84 88
Librarian 34,300 30,600 31,800 42,100 400 7 9

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

30 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 6 : E AS T S O U T H C E N T R A L

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $82,600 $55,000 $79,900 $100,000 $18,000 24 47

Project manager 60,000 53,000 56,200 63,700 5,000 33 88
Senior architect/designer 57,000 48,000 57,300 64,800 3,200 18 32
Architect/designer III 46,800 41,000 45,000 51,700 2,400 18 23
Architect/designer II 42,700 40,000 42,600 45,000 2,300 18 31
Architect/designer I 38,500 36,000 38,500 40,500 3,400 25 47
Third-year intern 37,000 34,400 38,000 38,500 2,800 19 29
Second-year intern 31,800 28,700 31,000 35,000 1,700 11 24
Entry-level intern 28,500 25,000 29,000 32,000 900 11 12
Student 22,100 20,800 300 5 7
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 73,300 77,500 7,200 5 14
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 57,300 51,700 51,700 60,300 5,000 7 13
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 32,600 28,800 32,000 37,000 1,700 16 21
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 47,200 40,000 45,600 55,000 3,000 18 25
Landscape architect 47,200 51,000 2,200 5 6
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 54,700 50,000 55,000 58,500 3,400 13 18
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 36,400 32,000 35,700 44,500 2,100 22 55
IT manager/director 54,000 43,500 55,700 64,000 3,200 9 9
Controller 49,500 28,000 53,000 61,200 5,200 9 11
Bookkeeper 34,800 32,000 35,000 40,000 2,000 15 16
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant 42,400 38,200 2,000 5 6
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 34,000 27,000 32,300 40,800 2,400 14 14
Administrative assistant 31,600 26,100 29,500 40,400 1,300 21 30
Receptionist 26,400 23,000 26,000 30,500 900 21 21
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

31 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 REGION 7: WEST SOUTH CENTRAL

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,400 $70,000 $76,000 $103,300 $15,000 79 202

Project manager 70,200 57,500 70,000 82,900 6,400 85 272
Senior architect/designer 63,400 55,900 64,700 70,000 4,800 61 142
Architect/designer III 55,700 49,300 55,500 63,000 4,200 50 149
Architect/designer II 49,800 43,000 50,200 56,000 4,200 64 233
Architect/designer I 42,000 36,000 43,000 47,900 2,600 78 239
Third-year intern 38,200 33,000 38,000 42,600 3,600 76 186
Second-year intern 35,100 32,000 34,300 39,000 2,300 59 113
Entry-level intern 33,200 30,000 34,000 35,300 2,300 49 140
Student 20,200 18,200 20,000 22,700 400 25 48
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,000 56,000 900 5 17
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 74,000 71,000 75,000 77,300 2,500 10 63
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 61,600 70,000 3,000 6 21
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 73,000 65,700 75,500 80,000 7,000 8 88
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,100 35,300 38,800 42,000 2,900 31 71
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,200 51,400 55,700 58,700 7,200 26 88
Landscape architect 64,800 61,400 3,500 6 12
Urban planner 57,200 49,100 4,200 5 23
Graphic designer 44,400 40,000 40,000 48,800 2,700 15 36
Construction administrator 57,400 55,000 57,700 65,000 9,800 32 105
Specification writer
CAD manager 50,000 40,600 51,800 58,000 3,600 14 17
Architectural drafter 34,200 27,000 34,000 40,000 1,400 36 71
IT manager/director 76,000 63,000 86,000 87,000 5,100 19 29
Controller 63,700 40,000 66,000 83,000 5,300 18 19
Bookkeeper 39,700 32,700 40,000 45,000 3,900 49 58
Accounting clerk 34,300 31,000 35,000 35,000 3,000 14 35
Business Development manager 71,300 58,000 71,000 88,900 5,100 14 14
Marketing manager 58,500 48,800 57,600 69,800 5,000 21 30
Marketing assistant 43,400 37,300 44,100 49,400 2,700 23 58
Human Resources director 69,600 60,900 10,800 5 6
Human Resources manager 48,300 43,500 2,900 6 6
Office manager 38,200 29,800 36,000 45,100 2,800 50 50
Administrative assistant 36,100 33,000 37,200 38,800 2,600 50 139
Receptionist 28,000 24,000 27,000 32,000 900 51 59
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

32 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 8 : PAC I F I C N O R T H W E S T

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $82,900 $67,500 $80,000 $93,400 $14,300 60 182

Project manager 66,400 58,400 65,400 74,300 6,600 79 277
Senior architect/designer 66,200 55,500 65,000 74,800 8,700 64 259
Architect/designer III 55,900 50,000 60,000 60,200 4,100 59 300
Architect/designer II 46,900 43,000 48,000 50,800 3,600 57 245
Architect/designer I 41,400 37,300 42,500 44,200 2,200 54 176
Third-year intern 38,300 33,100 39,000 41,500 2,300 50 106
Second-year intern 35,200 35,100 35,600 35,600 2,500 25 76
Entry-level intern 32,000 30,200 32,100 34,100 1,100 27 66
Student 24,600 20,000 25,000 27,200 400 8 11
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 42,700 39,000 3,000 6 17
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 60,500 55,700 55,700 63,000 8,600 7 53
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,800 34,900 40,300 49,900 3,200 22 66
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,100 54,400 56,500 71,200 7,300 24 97
Landscape architect 47,800 41,100 47,100 52,800 2,900 8 18
Urban planner
Graphic designer 46,400 35,800 44,300 56,000 3,700 13 34
Construction administrator 64,700 49,700 68,300 72,000 2,200 8 12
Specification writer 69,600 67,600 67,800 70,000 7,200 13 21
CAD manager 52,900 43,000 54,000 61,000 3,500 19 23
Architectural drafter 36,300 29,800 36,600 41,300 2,100 31 97
IT manager/director 56,900 47,400 54,000 61,200 5,300 20 21
Controller 69,800 55,600 66,500 79,100 8,900 24 25
Bookkeeper 41,800 38,000 40,200 47,500 1,900 35 48
Accounting clerk 36,600 32,800 39,100 39,900 2,800 18 30
Business Development manager 82,100 67,700 75,500 87,000 14,300 8 8
Marketing manager 51,300 45,000 51,700 56,500 3,700 24 28
Marketing assistant 39,800 37,500 40,000 42,000 2,400 19 24
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 47,500 40,000 48,000 55,000 4,700 7 7
Office manager 42,900 35,500 42,000 50,000 3,100 35 35
Administrative assistant 36,700 31,400 40,000 43,500 2,100 42 115
Receptionist 29,600 26,000 29,000 33,300 1,100 40 47
Librarian 38,000 43,100 2,900 5 10

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

33 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 R E G I O N 9 : PAC I F I C S O U T H W E S T

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $93,800 $79,800 $90,500 $105,100 $12,600 135 314
Project manager 75,500 65,000 74,500 85,000 6,500 159 491
Senior architect/designer 72,200 63,000 72,900 82,100 5,000 125 431
Architect/designer III 59,100 51,700 60,000 65,000 4,000 109 333
Architect/designer II 52,100 46,400 52,600 57,000 2,900 145 520
Architect/designer I 43,800 40,000 43,700 47,900 2,400 159 464
Third-year intern 40,100 36,000 40,000 45,700 1,600 87 175
Second-year intern 35,800 32,300 36,000 39,800 1,400 59 97
Entry-level intern 33,300 30,000 34,300 38,000 1,800 52 84
Student 24,200 20,800 24,000 25,500 500 40 53
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 58,100 62,700 200 5 19
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 81,100 76,300 81,800 85,000 1,500 7 48
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 52,700 53,800 1,700 6 16
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 79,600 72,500 82,400 83,100 6,500 9 22
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 42,600 35,000 41,000 48,000 2,400 46 91
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 63,500 55,800 67,400 68,000 3,600 44 102
Landscape architect 61,500 55,000 61,500 64,400 3,300 12 23
Urban planner 61,200 47,600 53,600 78,200 5,500 10 36
Graphic designer 49,600 40,600 53,700 60,300 2,800 30 46
Construction administrator 68,400 62,800 68,100 76,900 4,300 34 78
Specification writer 68,200 49,500 69,900 82,500 4,500 20 26
CAD manager 58,900 50,000 60,000 65,000 2,900 40 46
Architectural drafter 38,100 34,000 38,000 40,900 1,600 71 222
IT manager/director 73,800 56,500 70,000 91,300 5,500 29 29
Controller 72,700 55,200 70,300 87,700 9,300 53 54
Bookkeeper 43,300 34,000 42,500 50,500 2,700 59 62
Accounting clerk 40,700 34,700 40,000 45,000 1,900 35 60
Business Development manager 80,700 59,800 80,300 98,000 5,300 36 39
Marketing manager 61,300 52,000 60,000 70,300 4,000 39 43
Marketing assistant 45,400 38,400 45,000 53,100 1,600 45 64
Human Resources director 72,000 61,300 74,100 78,700 9,300 12 12
Human Resources manager 62,400 49,000 60,500 74,600 4,300 8 8
Office manager 46,100 38,000 45,000 52,000 3,100 106 107
Administrative assistant 39,900 36,800 42,000 43,900 1,600 92 228
Receptionist 30,900 27,500 31,200 35,400 1,000 98 103
Librarian 45,500 37,000 45,800 53,900 1,600 9 9

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

34 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 ARIZONA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $96,100 $108,100 $10,300 9 21

Project manager 76,800 66,000 75,700 80,000 5,600 14 47
Senior architect/designer 71,700 55,000 75,000 90,400 3,000 11 33
Architect/designer III 54,300 48,800 55,000 60,000 4,200 12 27
Architect/designer II 49,600 46,400 48,000 55,000 1,900 12 31
Architect/designer I 41,300 34,700 40,000 47,500 1,700 12 21
Third-year intern 38,200 38,900 1,500 5 8
Second-year intern 34,700 32,300 35,500 36,000 1,000 7 13
Entry-level intern
Student 24,500 23,900 100 6 7
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 39,800 40,000 1,600 6 13
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager 65,000 67,300 1,900 6 8
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 45,300 39,000 44,600 51,500 1,200 8 8
Administrative assistant 35,600 36,900 200 6 7
Receptionist 28,900 22,000 31,200 32,200 600 9 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

35 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 PHOENIX METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $96,100 $83,900 $108,100 $108,100 $10,300 9 21

Project manager 77,500 75,600 75,700 80,000 4,900 10 38
Senior architect/designer 75,600 60,000 75,200 90,400 2,800 8 27
Architect/designer III 55,000 48,800 60,000 61,500 3,900 9 23
Architect/designer II 49,700 46,400 48,000 55,000 1,300 10 28
Architect/designer I 43,900 45,000 1,600 6 11
Third-year intern
Second-year intern 35,600 35,500 1,000 6 11
Entry-level intern
Student 24,900 24,000 0 5 6
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,400 46,000 1,000 5 5
Administrative assistant 37,800 37,000 300 5 6
Receptionist 29,900 24,800 31,600 32,200 500 8 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

36 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CALIFORNIA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $97,200 $85,000 $99,400 $105,200 $12,700 102 247
Project manager 78,300 68,800 76,000 85,000 6,100 112 343
Senior architect/designer 75,100 66,800 77,000 86,700 4,900 91 333
Architect/designer III 61,600 55,000 63,300 68,600 4,000 75 246
Architect/designer II 53,500 48,000 54,000 59,700 2,900 103 407
Architect/designer I 44,700 40,500 45,000 48,500 2,400 117 378
Third-year intern 40,400 36,000 40,700 46,000 1,300 54 118
Second-year intern 37,500 35,000 36,800 42,000 1,500 29 52
Entry-level intern 34,200 32,000 36,300 39,900 1,800 35 63
Student 23,900 20,800 24,500 25,300 600 25 34
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 81,800 85,000 1,100 5 32
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 81,100 82,400 8,300 6 14
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 44,600 37,200 44,700 54,000 2,600 35 75
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,200 65,000 67,500 72,700 3,700 31 78
Landscape architect 63,900 57,300 63,900 64,400 3,500 9 17
Urban planner 63,100 48,400 57,900 78,200 6,100 9 32
Graphic designer 52,200 43,900 54,500 60,300 3,000 23 38
Construction administrator 69,800 63,000 68,100 75,800 3,700 23 59
Specification writer 77,900 64,900 81,300 93,700 5,200 11 14
CAD manager 63,300 58,000 61,700 71,800 2,900 26 32
Architectural drafter 39,300 35,000 39,300 42,800 1,400 44 158
IT manager/director 75,900 58,500 75,500 94,100 5,600 26 26
Controller 75,400 54,100 75,000 90,000 10,100 42 43
Bookkeeper 43,500 37,400 43,400 52,100 2,400 43 46
Accounting clerk 41,300 34,900 39,900 45,000 1,700 25 46
Business Development manager 88,300 69,600 90,000 105,000 6,700 26 27
Marketing manager 63,900 52,800 64,000 72,500 3,700 25 29
Marketing assistant 48,500 41,600 50,300 54,300 1,700 31 43
Human Resources director 74,600 65,000 74,800 79,600 9,700 11 11
Human Resources manager 65,900 69,200 4,900 6 6
Office manager 49,000 40,000 48,000 56,600 3,400 72 72
Administrative assistant 40,600 38,500 42,200 43,900 1,600 71 195
Receptionist 31,900 28,100 32,000 36,000 1,100 71 75
Librarian 45,500 37,000 45,800 53,900 1,600 9 9

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

37 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 LO S A N G E L E S M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $95,000 $81,400 $99,500 $101,700 $6,400 23 55

Project manager 81,500 70,000 84,000 90,700 5,100 25 81
Senior architect/designer 79,000 76,200 81,200 90,000 2,100 24 96
Architect/designer III 63,200 51,700 65,000 73,300 3,600 20 79
Architect/designer II 53,800 48,000 56,400 59,700 1,800 29 100
Architect/designer I 44,700 41,000 43,700 50,700 1,700 33 111
Third-year intern 40,400 34,200 43,300 46,000 600 16 34
Second-year intern 39,500 36,500 40,000 42,000 1,100 9 19
Entry-level intern 37,500 36,400 39,000 39,900 2,600 13 32
Student 26,200 22,300 200 5 6
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,900 37,200 38,700 45,400 700 8 14
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 66,900 67,500 1,700 6 25
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 58,200 60,300 2,700 5 14
Construction administrator 75,700 63,000 75,800 85,000 5,800 7 25
Specification writer
CAD manager 62,100 51,000 62,400 78,000 2,600 7 7
Architectural drafter 44,400 39,200 46,800 49,300 1,200 10 21
IT manager/director 69,000 57,500 68,000 79,500 2,400 9 9
Controller 73,500 45,800 76,300 94,400 11,600 8 8
Bookkeeper 46,300 42,000 45,000 53,200 1,900 9 9
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager 90,800 63,900 87,600 116,300 8,700 8 8
Marketing manager 65,200 53,500 70,000 78,400 2,400 9 12
Marketing assistant 46,800 42,000 50,300 51,600 2,200 11 17
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 51,900 45,000 50,500 56,600 2,400 16 16
Administrative assistant 42,600 40,100 43,000 44,500 1,500 23 57
Receptionist 30,100 25,100 30,000 35,500 900 19 20
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

38 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F LO S A N G E L E S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $101,900 $101,700 $101,700 $108,000 $1,600 10 26

Project manager 86,800 84,000 90,700 91,400 4,000 11 45
Senior architect/designer 85,400 87,300 90,000 90,400 1,600 10 45
Architect/designer III 62,200 51,700 65,000 73,300 4,400 9 47
Architect/designer II 49,500 36,700 52,200 60,000 1,900 10 27
Architect/designer I 46,400 40,000 48,300 52,100 1,600 16 61
Third-year intern 41,000 34,200 43,300 45,700 700 8 19
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern 38,000 36,300 39,900 39,900 3,200 8 22
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,700 63,100 3,000 5 8
Marketing assistant 45,900 40,900 46,900 51,300 2,800 7 12
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 58,800 50,500 53,800 69,500 2,400 8 8
Administrative assistant 41,900 40,200 42,400 44,500 1,300 11 32
Receptionist 30,600 27,000 30,000 35,000 900 8 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

39 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 LO S A N G E L E S M E T R O A R E A (EXCLUDING CITY OF LOS ANGELES)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $88,800 $81,400 $86,000 $99,500 $10,700 13 29

Project manager 74,700 69,200 72,000 75,400 6,500 14 36
Senior architect/designer 73,400 68,000 81,200 81,200 2,600 14 51
Architect/designer III 64,700 52,000 65,300 78,700 2,400 11 32
Architect/designer II 55,400 48,000 59,700 59,700 1,800 19 73
Architect/designer I 42,500 41,000 42,100 44,500 1,700 17 50
Third-year intern 39,600 30,000 41,500 46,000 500 8 15
Second-year intern 38,300 40,000 1,600 6 13
Entry-level intern 36,500 36,500 1,500 5 10
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 76,400 85,000 7,500 5 19
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 41,900 34,300 43,500 46,600 1,700 8 12
IT manager/director 72,600 68,000 3,000 5 5
Controller 74,100 77,500 17,400 5 5
Bookkeeper 46,300 45,000 1,800 6 6
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 45,000 41,300 45,000 49,500 2,500 8 8
Administrative assistant 43,500 39,800 43,000 47,300 1,600 12 25
Receptionist 29,600 24,000 30,000 36,000 900 11 11
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

40 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 O R A N G E C O U NT Y M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $100,600 $90,000 $103,000 $107,500 $13,100 13 21

Project manager 77,400 67,300 80,900 83,500 7,900 14 54
Senior architect/designer 74,700 60,500 70,000 88,900 7,500 9 21
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 56,400 49,100 60,300 60,300 5,000 11 61
Architect/designer I 45,000 39,000 43,700 48,000 2,900 17 39
Third-year intern 41,900 38,000 39,500 51,000 1,300 5 9
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager 66,300 63,200 4,400 5 6
Architectural drafter 44,600 46,000 1,000 5 24
IT manager/director
Controller 84,100 70,500 13,600 5 5
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 49,000 41,200 48,300 58,000 7,200 8 8
Administrative assistant 42,200 42,900 2,400 6 17
Receptionist 32,400 31,100 32,000 34,800 1,000 8 10
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

41 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S A C R A M E NTO M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $94,300 $85,000 $100,000 $102,000 $13,200 8 18

Project manager 71,500 55,000 75,000 84,100 5,900 9 25
Senior architect/designer 69,000 70,600 3,100 6 17
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 51,900 48,800 50,800 51,100 2,400 7 18
Architect/designer I 40,600 37,700 40,000 44,200 2,100 8 18
Third-year intern 41,100 40,000 800 5 17
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 40,700 40,000 2,700 6 6
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 29,000 29,100 300 5 5
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

42 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S A N D I EG O M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $91,900 $76,500 $93,000 $99,500 $13,600 15 33

Project manager 73,000 65,000 70,000 79,800 7,600 13 29
Senior architect/designer 62,300 55,000 60,400 69,800 4,400 12 22
Architect/designer III 53,000 49,200 55,000 59,000 4,500 9 12
Architect/designer II 52,900 52,000 54,000 56,000 3,300 11 31
Architect/designer I 45,000 41,600 45,000 48,500 2,700 14 46
Third-year intern 42,700 40,800 1,900 6 13
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student 22,300 18,800 24,000 25,000 500 7 10
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 34,800 38,000 1,000 5 9
IT manager/director
Controller 58,900 54,100 4,200 6 7
Bookkeeper 36,300 31,000 40,000 41,300 1,600 9 9
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 44,000 39,500 43,000 50,000 2,900 11 11
Administrative assistant 35,100 37,000 1,800 6 13
Receptionist 30,500 26,800 32,000 34,500 1,700 9 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

43 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F S A N D I EG O

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,500 $77,300 $90,000 $97,500 $10,400 10 24

Project manager 71,700 62,500 70,000 78,500 7,100 10 24
Senior architect/designer 62,000 56,000 60,400 68,000 4,100 10 20
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 54,600 52,000 54,000 56,000 3,500 10 28
Architect/designer I 45,400 45,000 45,000 48,500 2,300 12 40
Third-year intern 42,700 40,800 1,900 6 13
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student 22,600 24,000 500 6 9
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 37,100 34,000 40,000 41,000 1,000 7 7
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 45,000 34,200 49,000 50,000 2,700 8 8
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 31,300 32,000 1,300 6 6
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

44 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 SAN FRANCISCO METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $108,400 $99,400 $105,200 $120,900 $11,300 19 63

Project manager 88,800 71,300 91,600 107,300 3,500 22 56
Senior architect/designer 78,400 72,200 77,000 86,700 5,000 17 113
Architect/designer III 64,800 64,400 64,600 68,600 3,600 15 70
Architect/designer II 53,500 47,300 55,000 56,800 2,600 22 138
Architect/designer I 41,700 40,000 40,500 45,000 2,100 20 74
Third-year intern 35,700 38,000 1,400 5 9
Second-year intern 35,800 36,000 1,200 5 6
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 52,700 45,000 55,300 62,900 3,500 8 28
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,200 67,400 2,400 5 18
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 47,800 45,200 2,400 6 8
Construction administrator
Specification writer 86,000 87,300 5,700 5 6
CAD manager 63,200 58,000 1,300 6 11
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 91,100 86,000 92,500 106,100 11,200 7 7
Controller 81,100 63,300 80,600 97,000 9,000 10 10
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk 47,500 44,900 1,200 5 15
Business Development manager 102,400 93,800 1,400 5 6
Marketing manager 66,300 63,000 2,800 5 5
Marketing assistant 47,900 39,700 47,300 54,300 900 9 15
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 54,100 41,500 52,000 64,800 2,200 13 13
Administrative assistant 42,700 40,200 42,200 45,700 1,700 13 49
Receptionist 35,000 30,900 36,000 38,000 700 12 13
Librarian 53,700 47,700 1,900 5 5

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

45 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $108,700 $99,400 $106,100 $120,900 $11,300 18 62

Project manager 91,900 76,000 105,000 108,000 3,500 18 50
Senior architect/designer 79,400 72,200 77,000 86,700 5,200 14 108
Architect/designer III 65,300 64,400 64,600 68,600 3,400 13 65
Architect/designer II 53,800 47,300 55,000 56,800 2,600 20 134
Architect/designer I 41,500 40,000 40,500 43,000 2,000 17 67
Third-year intern 35,700 38,000 1,400 5 9
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 53,700 45,000 55,300 65,400 3,400 7 26
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,200 67,400 2,400 5 18
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 47,800 45,200 2,400 6 8
Construction administrator
Specification writer 86,000 87,300 5,700 5 6
CAD manager 63,200 58,000 1,300 6 11
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 91,100 86,000 92,500 106,100 11,200 7 7
Controller 81,100 63,300 80,600 97,000 9,000 10 10
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk 47,500 44,900 1,200 5 15
Business Development manager 102,400 93,800 1,400 5 6
Marketing manager 66,300 63,000 2,800 5 5
Marketing assistant 47,900 39,700 47,300 54,300 900 9 15
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 55,900 48,000 52,000 64,500 2,300 11 11
Administrative assistant 42,700 40,200 42,200 45,700 1,700 13 49
Receptionist 34,100 30,500 35,700 37,700 700 11 12
Librarian 53,700 47,700 1,900 5 5

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

46 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 SAN JOSE METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $89,900 $85,000 $90,000 $104,000 $10,000 7 14

Project manager 77,800 74,500 75,000 85,000 7,000 8 34
Senior architect/designer 67,600 63,000 64,000 76,500 6,200 8 15
Architect/designer III 66,300 71,000 3,400 6 18
Architect/designer II 51,000 49,000 50,000 57,000 4,800 7 18
Architect/designer I 47,700 44,000 500 6 17
Third-year intern 39,200 42,600 3,000 5 12
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 41,300 48,000 2,400 5 5
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 54,000 62,000 4,800 5 5
Administrative assistant 44,600 45,000 1,900 6 12
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

47 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C O LO R A D O

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $76,200 $71,200 $75,000 $83,200 $13,300 13 23

Project manager 69,800 62,300 68,000 76,700 9,600 18 59
Senior architect/designer 60,700 54,300 60,200 69,500 7,100 15 32
Architect/designer III 53,200 50,000 53,200 58,800 4,900 12 28
Architect/designer II 45,900 41,100 43,000 50,000 2,900 19 43
Architect/designer I 40,300 35,500 40,000 45,000 2,700 17 35
Third-year intern 41,500 38,000 41,600 46,000 2,100 14 31
Second-year intern 33,700 29,300 33,500 39,500 1,400 12 18
Entry-level intern 30,200 26,900 30,000 33,500 1,900 9 13
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 33,300 35,000 1,400 5 9
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,700 55,800 2,900 5 10
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 35,100 32,500 36,000 37,000 1,800 7 11
IT manager/director
Controller 64,900 57,000 60,200 80,000 9,200 7 7
Bookkeeper 43,600 33,500 39,500 53,500 3,100 8 8
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,600 52,000 60,000 72,800 4,800 7 7
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,900 33,500 38,800 45,200 2,800 12 13
Administrative assistant 33,500 31,200 31,300 36,800 1,300 9 12
Receptionist 28,400 27,500 28,000 30,000 700 10 11
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

48 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 DENVER METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $76,700 $70,600 $76,400 $83,200 $8,500 9 17

Project manager 66,000 61,100 67,400 70,000 7,400 11 33
Senior architect/designer 60,500 52,800 60,200 69,600 4,400 8 20
Architect/designer III 52,300 53,200 3,400 6 16
Architect/designer II 45,800 41,100 42,200 50,000 3,000 11 29
Architect/designer I 40,300 35,000 40,000 46,500 2,500 11 21
Third-year intern 42,500 37,500 44,500 46,000 2,300 9 22
Second-year intern 35,000 28,500 37,400 39,500 1,700 8 13
Entry-level intern 31,100 32,000 1,600 5 7
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 34,800 36,000 1,800 6 9
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 58,300 56,000 4,800 5 5
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 40,400 38,500 2,800 6 7
Administrative assistant 32,200 31,300 1,400 6 9
Receptionist 28,000 27,500 28,000 28,600 1,000 7 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

49 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CONNECTICUT

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $88,200 $78,500 $89,000 $89,000 $13,600 8 28

Project manager 71,100 60,000 71,900 81,800 4,200 16 37
Senior architect/designer 64,200 57,000 60,000 71,600 3,700 7 31
Architect/designer III 54,700 50,500 53,500 59,300 2,100 8 10
Architect/designer II 48,300 46,000 48,000 51,700 3,500 14 23
Architect/designer I 41,500 38,000 42,000 45,000 2,200 10 13
Third-year intern 42,500 40,000 42,000 44,600 4,300 9 24
Second-year intern 37,700 35,000 39,000 40,000 3,000 8 11
Entry-level intern 33,600 32,800 34,800 36,000 2,800 9 18
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,600 51,000 2,700 6 13
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 44,000 40,000 1,700 6 7
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 40,700 28,700 36,800 51,000 1,600 10 14
Administrative assistant 33,100 34,900 200 6 13
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

50 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 F LO R I DA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $78,100 $65,500 $75,000 $89,300 $9,300 31 52

Project manager 65,600 57,700 63,300 75,000 6,600 38 91
Senior architect/designer 60,400 55,700 60,000 63,000 5,300 20 57
Architect/designer III 50,100 44,000 48,000 55,000 5,700 20 43
Architect/designer II 47,500 42,000 48,800 51,800 2,700 24 41
Architect/designer I 39,600 34,900 40,300 44,300 2,200 34 70
Third-year intern 35,500 31,200 35,000 40,000 1,900 16 19
Second-year intern 35,200 34,800 35,400 37,400 1,000 12 20
Entry-level intern 32,200 29,000 32,500 34,000 1,100 11 15
Student 26,800 22,900 24,500 28,000 700 7 8
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,600 35,000 37,400 46,600 2,400 13 20
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,700 42,300 50,500 58,000 4,100 16 31
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 60,000 48,200 62,800 67,600 4,500 12 18
Specification writer
CAD manager 39,600 37,800 1,300 6 8
Architectural drafter 33,100 29,000 35,000 37,000 1,600 12 24
IT manager/director 54,100 56,000 3,000 5 5
Controller 68,700 46,300 63,600 81,500 10,700 8 8
Bookkeeper 40,900 33,600 40,000 47,500 2,700 17 17
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 48,900 50,300 2,500 6 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 34,900 30,000 33,300 38,500 2,300 23 23
Administrative assistant 32,000 28,900 34,000 35,500 800 18 25
Receptionist 26,000 23,500 25,000 29,000 1,600 16 17
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

51 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 TA M PA / S T. P E T E R S B U R G / C L E A RWAT E R M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $70,900 $65,000 $75,000 $80,000 $5,300 10 15

Project manager 60,400 54,800 63,300 64,000 7,000 12 26
Senior architect/designer 55,500 54,300 55,600 57,100 6,400 7 21
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 49,000 43,000 50,000 52,000 2,000 8 11
Architect/designer I 40,600 36,400 42,300 45,000 1,600 12 30
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern 32,900 32,500 700 5 8
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller 61,800 63,200 8,000 5 5
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 32,500 32,500 3,000 6 6
Administrative assistant 33,000 35,000 1,200 6 9
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

52 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 GEORGIA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $81,800 $67,500 $77,300 $98,300 $9,000 21 49

Project manager 74,000 65,000 78,600 83,000 4,000 28 99
Senior architect/designer 66,000 64,000 68,500 71,500 3,200 26 107
Architect/designer III 57,600 54,300 55,000 61,600 3,200 20 100
Architect/designer II 47,600 43,700 49,100 50,000 2,600 27 93
Architect/designer I 41,400 35,000 43,800 45,000 1,200 27 85
Third-year intern 44,200 41,900 46,000 47,900 1,700 19 69
Second-year intern 38,500 35,500 39,800 42,900 700 12 30
Entry-level intern 34,200 33,000 35,300 37,200 800 12 35
Student 26,300 27,600 300 6 17
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 36,900 33,100 38,000 38,300 1,600 12 45
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 54,500 46,500 52,000 61,300 2,000 14 53
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 40,500 40,000 2,700 6 11
Construction administrator 62,300 49,500 67,800 67,800 1,400 7 18
Specification writer
CAD manager 49,500 41,200 45,000 57,300 2,200 12 17
Architectural drafter 39,000 31,000 43,900 43,900 300 8 21
IT manager/director 73,300 54,500 66,500 99,300 2,500 8 8
Controller 68,300 60,000 65,000 80,000 3,300 13 15
Bookkeeper 43,000 34,500 41,000 49,100 1,100 16 18
Accounting clerk 40,100 41,200 1,200 6 13
Business Development manager 67,400 48,500 77,300 77,300 1,400 7 13
Marketing manager 57,100 42,900 51,600 70,800 2,400 12 14
Marketing assistant 39,300 32,300 37,700 49,200 1,400 8 18
Human Resources director 81,000 71,000 3,100 5 5
Human Resources manager
Office manager 43,600 40,300 42,000 51,800 2,800 16 16
Administrative assistant 37,700 36,900 37,600 41,500 1,100 14 68
Receptionist 31,100 28,000 31,000 33,600 500 15 17
Librarian 36,300 31,800 500 5 7

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

53 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 AT L A NTA M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,200 $68,000 $78,600 $100,000 $10,000 18 43

Project manager 75,600 68,700 78,600 83,000 4,100 23 92
Senior architect/designer 66,600 65,000 68,500 71,500 3,200 23 103
Architect/designer III 57,600 54,300 55,000 61,600 3,200 19 99
Architect/designer II 48,000 44,300 49,100 51,100 2,600 23 86
Architect/designer I 42,000 38,000 43,800 45,000 1,300 22 77
Third-year intern 44,300 42,000 46,000 47,900 1,700 18 68
Second-year intern 38,500 35,500 39,800 42,900 700 12 30
Entry-level intern 34,200 33,000 35,300 37,200 800 12 35
Student 26,300 27,600 300 6 17
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 37,400 36,200 38,300 38,300 1,600 11 43
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 54,500 45,800 52,000 61,300 2,000 13 52
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 40,000 40,000 2,800 5 10
Construction administrator 61,400 67,800 1,600 5 16
Specification writer
CAD manager 50,900 45,000 48,500 58,100 2,600 10 14
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 73,300 54,500 66,500 99,300 2,500 8 8
Controller 71,600 61,300 66,000 80,000 3,800 11 13
Bookkeeper 43,700 35,000 41,000 51,700 1,100 14 16
Accounting clerk 40,100 41,200 1,200 6 13
Business Development manager 67,400 48,500 77,300 77,300 1,400 7 13
Marketing manager 57,600 40,700 51,700 72,500 2,500 11 13
Marketing assistant 39,700 32,100 37,700 49,200 1,500 7 17
Human Resources director 81,000 71,000 3,100 5 5
Human Resources manager
Office manager 44,700 40,800 43,500 52,000 3,100 14 14
Administrative assistant 37,900 36,900 37,600 41,500 1,100 13 67
Receptionist 32,000 28,700 32,000 34,000 600 12 14
Librarian 36,300 31,800 500 5 7

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

54 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F AT L A NTA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $82,600 $68,000 $77,300 $98,300 $8,900 16 39

Project manager 75,900 71,000 78,900 83,000 4,100 21 88
Senior architect/designer 67,100 65,000 68,500 71,500 3,300 20 98
Architect/designer III 57,800 54,300 55,000 61,600 3,200 17 96
Architect/designer II 48,200 44,300 49,100 51,100 2,600 20 81
Architect/designer I 42,000 37,300 43,800 45,000 1,300 19 72
Third-year intern 44,600 42,500 46,000 47,900 1,500 16 63
Second-year intern 38,800 35,500 41,200 42,900 500 10 28
Entry-level intern 34,300 33,000 35,300 37,200 800 11 33
Student 27,200 27,600 300 5 15
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 37,400 36,200 38,300 38,300 1,600 11 43
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 54,900 48,000 52,000 61,300 2,000 12 51
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager 50,700 45,000 45,000 58,600 2,600 9 13
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 76,000 54,400 75,000 105,000 2,300 7 7
Controller 71,600 61,300 66,000 80,000 3,800 11 13
Bookkeeper 44,200 35,000 41,000 53,300 1,100 12 14
Accounting clerk 40,100 41,200 1,200 6 13
Business Development manager 69,600 77,300 1,200 6 12
Marketing manager 57,600 40,700 51,700 72,500 2,500 11 13
Marketing assistant 39,700 32,100 37,700 49,200 1,500 7 17
Human Resources director 81,000 71,000 3,100 5 5
Human Resources manager
Office manager 44,900 40,500 45,000 52,000 3,300 13 13
Administrative assistant 37,700 36,900 37,600 41,000 1,000 11 64
Receptionist 32,200 29,000 33,000 34,000 600 11 13
Librarian 36,300 31,800 500 5 7

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

55 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 ILLINOIS

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $90,100 $70,000 $90,000 $113,800 $12,000 43 112

Project manager 75,300 64,000 74,600 80,300 4,600 49 173
Senior architect/designer 68,800 61,900 70,000 75,000 3,500 41 168
Architect/designer III 57,900 51,000 60,000 65,800 2,500 46 169
Architect/designer II 48,400 44,100 48,000 54,500 1,700 60 195
Architect/designer I 41,600 37,400 40,000 47,800 2,100 51 207
Third-year intern 41,700 37,100 41,300 45,100 1,700 30 82
Second-year intern 36,000 35,000 35,900 36,900 1,100 20 44
Entry-level intern 34,800 33,000 34,500 39,300 1,600 15 34
Student 23,300 18,000 23,700 29,100 300 14 22
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,300 46,200 49,600 53,800 1,500 8 27
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 78,700 75,500 85,300 85,300 1,200 9 43
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 65,700 76,500 4,000 6 22
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 77,200 68,400 85,800 85,800 7,800 9 51
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 42,200 38,900 40,600 48,500 1,400 16 59
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,600 60,600 70,700 78,300 4,500 13 74
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 49,700 51,800 2,400 5 5
Construction administrator 55,500 44,400 48,500 69,400 2,800 16 24
Specification writer 71,400 60,200 78,000 82,200 6,000 8 9
CAD manager 65,200 54,400 70,000 76,500 2,800 12 13
Architectural drafter 40,000 35,000 40,300 45,200 900 17 50
IT manager/director 81,600 69,000 86,600 93,800 5,300 8 8
Controller 97,400 67,200 101,600 128,800 7,000 12 12
Bookkeeper 43,900 34,300 40,000 52,800 2,000 21 22
Accounting clerk 39,000 33,800 41,800 42,300 700 11 20
Business Development manager 93,700 84,500 87,700 104,300 4,900 7 10
Marketing manager 64,300 54,000 60,000 74,300 1,500 14 15
Marketing assistant 38,100 33,300 35,000 44,300 900 13 19
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 62,100 64,800 3,400 6 6
Office manager 43,000 36,000 42,000 48,300 1,600 31 31
Administrative assistant 38,200 31,900 40,500 43,400 900 26 86
Receptionist 29,200 25,000 30,100 32,400 700 25 28
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

56 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CHICAGO METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $90,800 $70,000 $90,000 $113,800 $12,300 34 101

Project manager 76,300 67,700 75,000 80,300 4,800 40 153
Senior architect/designer 69,100 61,900 70,000 75,000 3,700 32 151
Architect/designer III 57,800 51,000 60,000 65,800 2,700 42 157
Architect/designer II 48,700 44,100 48,000 55,000 1,800 49 178
Architect/designer I 42,100 37,400 40,000 49,800 2,200 43 188
Third-year intern 42,200 37,100 42,700 45,200 1,500 22 70
Second-year intern 36,500 35,900 35,900 37,500 1,100 17 41
Entry-level intern 35,400 33,000 35,000 39,300 1,600 12 31
Student 27,200 23,500 28,000 29,100 200 10 15
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 81,800 85,300 1,100 5 29
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 81,900 85,800 11,200 6 35
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,900 38,900 40,600 48,200 1,500 13 50
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,900 60,600 70,700 79,000 4,800 11 69
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 49,700 51,800 2,400 5 5
Construction administrator 57,900 44,700 56,400 70,800 3,300 7 12
Specification writer 79,500 80,500 8,800 5 6
CAD manager 68,500 60,000 73,500 78,000 3,300 10 11
Architectural drafter 41,100 35,300 42,700 45,200 900 12 39
IT manager/director 84,000 80,000 88,400 95,000 6,100 7 7
Controller 94,000 64,700 98,200 125,000 7,600 11 11
Bookkeeper 43,300 32,000 40,000 50,000 2,200 19 19
Accounting clerk 40,300 40,000 42,200 42,300 900 9 16
Business Development manager 93,700 84,500 87,700 104,300 4,900 7 10
Marketing manager 63,900 54,000 60,000 74,300 2,000 11 11
Marketing assistant 37,200 33,000 35,000 41,800 1,000 12 18
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 62,100 68,000 4,100 5 5
Office manager 44,900 36,500 44,400 52,300 1,500 24 24
Administrative assistant 40,400 36,900 42,300 44,500 1,100 21 68
Receptionist 30,300 28,300 30,700 32,800 700 19 21
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

57 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CITY OF CHICAGO

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $92,300 $70,000 $100,000 $113,800 $16,200 17 55

Project manager 78,100 70,900 74,600 91,300 5,800 24 100
Senior architect/designer 70,600 61,900 70,000 80,000 3,800 18 106
Architect/designer III 59,000 52,000 60,400 65,800 2,700 30 118
Architect/designer II 48,900 44,100 48,000 54,500 1,700 29 114
Architect/designer I 42,500 37,400 40,000 49,800 2,200 26 126
Third-year intern 41,700 38,100 45,100 45,100 600 11 35
Second-year intern 36,700 35,900 35,900 37,000 900 9 31
Entry-level intern 36,400 33,200 35,400 39,500 1,400 7 21
Student 26,900 29,100 0 5 9
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,800 38,900 39,200 41,700 1,400 11 44
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 69,200 60,600 70,700 79,000 5,000 9 66
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager 69,300 73,500 3,700 6 7
Architectural drafter 43,300 45,200 1,200 5 24
IT manager/director
Controller 108,900 90,700 107,500 128,800 9,700 8 8
Bookkeeper 50,300 34,000 49,300 65,500 3,600 8 8
Accounting clerk 40,300 40,000 42,200 42,300 1,000 7 14
Business Development manager 94,200 85,300 4,300 6 9
Marketing manager 65,600 54,500 60,000 75,100 2,300 9 9
Marketing assistant 36,800 32,000 33,300 42,600 1,300 10 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 62,100 68,000 4,100 5 5
Office manager 45,300 37,000 45,400 52,300 1,800 12 12
Administrative assistant 41,200 37,100 43,400 44,700 1,000 13 56
Receptionist 30,100 27,000 30,100 33,100 700 13 13
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

58 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C H I C A G O M E T R O A R E A (EXCLUDING CITY OF CHICAGO)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $89,100 $70,000 $90,000 $108,000 $7,600 17 46

Project manager 72,900 62,800 78,000 80,300 2,900 16 53
Senior architect/designer 65,700 62,500 65,000 70,300 3,400 14 45
Architect/designer III 54,200 47,600 53,000 58,000 2,700 12 39
Architect/designer II 48,300 43,000 45,600 55,000 1,900 20 64
Architect/designer I 41,300 35,000 40,000 52,000 2,100 17 62
Third-year intern 42,800 37,000 41,000 50,000 2,300 11 35
Second-year intern 35,700 32,400 35,000 39,300 1,700 8 10
Entry-level intern 33,400 33,000 2,200 5 10
Student 27,700 26,500 500 5 6
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 37,500 35,000 35,300 42,700 400 7 15
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 38,100 32,000 37,500 40,000 1,300 11 11
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 44,600 36,500 43,500 54,600 1,200 12 12
Administrative assistant 36,600 32,500 36,500 41,000 1,100 8 12
Receptionist 30,500 30,700 600 6 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

59 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 INDIANA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $79,800 $68,600 $73,000 $94,300 $6,600 8 13

Project manager 72,800 60,000 76,600 78,800 5,700 8 20
Senior architect/designer 55,300 48,500 55,600 56,500 2,500 8 14
Architect/designer III 51,500 50,800 52,000 54,000 3,000 7 13
Architect/designer II
Architect/designer I 38,100 37,500 4,200 6 12
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 41,100 39,700 39,700 48,000 1,500 7 19
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 33,300 29,700 32,000 41,400 1,300 8 9
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 31,400 31,200 900 5 13
Receptionist 25,600 22,400 25,000 26,500 800 8 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

60 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 IOWA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $80,300 $79,800 $6,200 5 6

Project manager 66,000 71,200 6,900 5 6
Senior architect/designer 56,300 47,200 47,600 67,200 1,100 8 16
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 45,800 45,800 1,500 6 11
Architect/designer I 41,700 42,000 100 6 7
Third-year intern 37,300 35,000 37,800 39,000 1,100 7 12
Second-year intern 34,300 35,700 700 6 6
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 66,900 70,700 300 5 22
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 43,700 44,000 400 5 10
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 35,100 30,200 33,200 40,400 900 9 20
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,100 32,000 33,000 51,500 400 7 7
Administrative assistant 29,500 25,200 32,000 32,800 200 7 18
Receptionist 21,800 17,000 22,900 25,700 400 7 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

61 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 K A N S AS

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $74,400 $60,300 $71,000 $79,000 $6,600 8 15

Project manager 61,100 60,000 61,600 64,300 7,100 11 27
Senior architect/designer 52,800 44,600 51,000 57,000 2,300 10 19
Architect/designer III 49,100 43,100 46,700 58,700 1,800 10 16
Architect/designer II
Architect/designer I 40,500 37,000 41,000 46,300 3,000 11 19
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student 19,800 20,900 0 5 8
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 45,300 42,500 44,500 51,000 2,800 7 10
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 32,500 35,000 1,200 5 11
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 37,600 37,800 2,800 6 6
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 30,200 32,500 700 5 7
Receptionist 25,200 23,200 25,000 30,000 600 7 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

62 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 KENTUCKY

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,500 $55,000 $76,300 $100,000 $8,900 9 17

Project manager 62,200 50,300 54,000 78,600 3,700 8 21
Senior architect/designer
Architect/designer III 47,900 46,800 2,500 5 5
Architect/designer II 41,200 40,000 3,100 6 11
Architect/designer I 34,400 34,000 4,000 6 11
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 27,200 24,500 26,500 29,300 900 7 9
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

63 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 LO U I S I A N A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $67,800 $61,800 $70,000 $73,500 $7,600 7 18

Project manager 59,100 58,000 60,000 65,000 6,600 11 31
Senior architect/designer 54,900 60,000 5,900 6 7
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 39,000 37,800 2,200 6 12
Architect/designer I 36,700 37,700 4,800 6 15
Third-year intern 34,100 32,800 33,000 36,000 3,400 8 22
Second-year intern 32,800 31,000 33,000 34,000 1,700 8 15
Entry-level intern 28,600 27,300 29,000 30,000 700 7 8
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 35,500 35,000 2,100 5 5
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 43,400 35,000 600 5 9
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 32,400 34,500 800 5 6
IT manager/director
Controller 48,400 42,000 1,700 5 5
Bookkeeper 35,400 29,300 34,500 42,300 3,900 8 8
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 31,500 30,000 4,700 5 5
Administrative assistant 28,900 24,600 31,000 32,100 2,100 11 13
Receptionist 25,000 26,500 500 6 6
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

64 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 M A RY L A N D

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $97,700 $75,500 $80,600 $111,000 $13,600 15 27

Project manager 69,600 60,000 69,800 76,400 9,200 14 38
Senior architect/designer 62,000 54,000 58,300 74,000 5,700 17 35
Architect/designer III 52,800 50,000 53,600 54,200 4,500 12 29
Architect/designer II 47,200 45,000 46,000 48,000 4,800 7 17
Architect/designer I 43,300 36,000 43,500 47,000 3,200 13 27
Third-year intern 42,800 38,100 45,000 47,300 2,900 10 20
Second-year intern 37,100 35,400 37,000 40,000 900 7 7
Entry-level intern 34,400 29,500 37,900 37,900 4,100 7 18
Student 26,700 30,000 1,400 6 7
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,600 42,700 1,300 6 14
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,600 55,000 3,600 5 11
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 49,900 51,600 4,600 6 12
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 45,000 45,000 2,100 5 5
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 47,900 31,300 42,000 62,400 4,000 11 11
Administrative assistant 36,300 29,300 35,000 44,200 1,900 7 12
Receptionist 29,700 26,100 31,500 33,500 700 8 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

65 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 B A LT I M O R E M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,600 $77,800 $80,600 $100,000 $12,200 8 13

Project manager 70,400 60,000 69,500 76,400 8,900 9 27
Senior architect/designer 62,700 54,000 60,000 74,000 3,800 12 25
Architect/designer III 53,700 50,900 54,200 54,200 4,300 10 24
Architect/designer II
Architect/designer I 42,600 36,000 46,100 47,000 2,300 10 18
Third-year intern 41,600 35,600 40,500 47,600 1,700 7 12
Second-year intern 37,700 37,000 300 5 5
Entry-level intern 34,900 37,900 4,200 6 17
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 48,200 30,200 41,000 62,700 3,900 10 10
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 28,400 28,700 600 6 6
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

66 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F B A LT I M O R E

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,800 $76,600 $80,600 $95,200 $13,200 7 12

Project manager 70,100 72,900 9,600 6 22
Senior architect/designer 66,600 53,600 74,000 74,000 4,000 7 14
Architect/designer III 54,600 54,200 4,400 5 18
Architect/designer II
Architect/designer I 45,700 46,500 2,500 5 10
Third-year intern 41,900 41,300 1,500 5 10
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 52,300 58,700 5,400 5 5
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 27,700 26,400 300 5 5
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

67 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 M AS S AC H U S E T T S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,800 $80,000 $87,800 $89,700 $7,700 21 47

Project manager 73,300 69,000 75,000 78,200 2,800 29 117
Senior architect/designer 75,100 66,900 76,300 78,300 1,700 29 126
Architect/designer III 62,800 58,700 65,000 65,200 1,600 20 88
Architect/designer II 53,600 49,600 55,000 58,900 1,800 23 112
Architect/designer I 44,800 41,500 43,800 48,500 1,300 29 95
Third-year intern 44,200 39,700 45,600 50,000 1,500 13 32
Second-year intern 40,000 38,900 41,600 42,100 1,200 13 26
Entry-level intern 34,600 32,900 34,800 36,600 500 12 24
Student 32,300 30,000 34,100 34,100 300 12 34
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,000 36,200 37,300 39,600 800 8 12
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 65,400 60,200 64,700 74,600 1,700 12 37
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 54,000 47,100 48,100 63,100 3,000 10 21
Construction administrator 71,400 67,000 76,300 79,100 1,900 7 27
Specification writer
CAD manager 53,800 50,300 100 6 6
Architectural drafter 41,200 45,000 700 6 17
IT manager/director 81,500 73,300 80,700 89,500 2,400 11 14
Controller 84,700 77,000 88,000 96,600 4,800 15 15
Bookkeeper 45,200 39,000 45,000 57,500 1,000 13 15
Accounting clerk 45,600 41,100 45,700 53,200 700 7 13
Business Development manager 86,000 83,200 800 6 7
Marketing manager 67,600 50,000 64,000 79,000 1,500 13 15
Marketing assistant 41,900 37,000 42,500 47,300 600 12 15
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,500 34,000 45,800 57,600 1,600 14 14
Administrative assistant 39,800 35,000 40,200 43,800 500 16 56
Receptionist 32,600 29,500 31,500 35,300 500 14 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

68 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 B O S TO N M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,000 $81,900 $87,800 $90,500 $7,900 20 46

Project manager 73,500 69,000 75,000 80,000 2,700 27 115
Senior architect/designer 75,300 66,900 76,300 78,300 1,700 26 122
Architect/designer III 62,800 58,600 65,000 65,200 1,400 18 85
Architect/designer II 53,600 48,800 55,600 58,900 1,700 22 109
Architect/designer I 45,000 41,500 44,000 48,500 1,300 27 91
Third-year intern 44,700 44,700 45,600 50,000 1,600 12 31
Second-year intern 40,400 38,900 41,600 42,100 1,200 11 24
Entry-level intern 34,600 32,900 34,800 36,600 500 12 24
Student 32,300 30,000 34,100 34,100 300 11 33
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,900 36,100 37,300 38,500 400 7 11
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 66,200 60,500 64,700 76,400 1,500 10 35
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 54,000 47,100 48,100 63,100 3,000 10 21
Construction administrator 71,400 67,000 76,300 79,100 1,900 7 27
Specification writer
CAD manager 53,800 50,300 100 6 6
Architectural drafter 42,000 45,000 700 5 16
IT manager/director 81,500 73,300 80,700 89,500 2,400 11 14
Controller 83,900 74,500 87,000 96,000 4,400 14 14
Bookkeeper 46,600 40,300 50,000 57,500 800 11 13
Accounting clerk 45,600 41,100 45,700 53,200 700 7 13
Business Development manager 86,000 83,200 800 6 7
Marketing manager 67,600 50,000 64,000 79,000 1,500 13 15
Marketing assistant 41,900 37,000 42,500 47,300 600 12 15
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 48,300 34,300 49,000 58,400 1,600 13 13
Administrative assistant 39,900 35,000 40,400 43,800 400 14 54
Receptionist 32,600 29,500 31,500 35,300 500 14 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

69 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F B O S TO N (INCLUDING CAMBRIDGE)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $89,100 $87,500 $88,300 $99,000 $4,900 11 24

Project manager 76,200 69,000 75,000 81,500 1,800 16 85
Senior architect/designer 77,700 75,000 78,300 83,800 600 13 91
Architect/designer III 64,200 63,000 65,000 65,200 800 13 67
Architect/designer II 55,000 50,000 55,600 58,900 800 14 85
Architect/designer I 45,900 41,800 45,000 53,200 1,200 18 73
Third-year intern 42,400 40,800 45,600 45,800 700 7 17
Second-year intern 39,900 38,900 41,600 44,100 1,000 7 17
Entry-level intern 34,100 34,500 200 6 16
Student 31,700 30,000 34,100 34,100 0 7 27
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,100 37,300 200 5 8
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 67,700 60,500 65,000 80,000 1,000 8 29
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 52,500 46,800 48,100 58,100 800 7 12
Construction administrator 66,400 71,600 1,000 5 17
Specification writer
CAD manager 55,400 50,600 200 5 5
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 84,300 76,800 81,400 97,000 500 7 10
Controller 87,100 77,000 88,000 97,000 3,400 11 11
Bookkeeper 46,900 37,300 55,000 57,500 400 7 9
Accounting clerk 46,800 45,700 0 5 9
Business Development manager 86,000 83,200 800 6 7
Marketing manager 67,100 51,900 67,000 79,000 1,600 10 12
Marketing assistant 41,800 36,400 42,500 47,300 400 9 12
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 51,400 38,600 54,000 58,400 900 9 9
Administrative assistant 41,100 35,000 41,000 43,800 100 10 42
Receptionist 32,600 30,000 31,000 35,000 400 11 11
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

70 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 B O S TO N M E T R O A R E A (excluding Cities of Boston and Cambridge)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,800 $80,000 $85,600 $87,800 $11,100 9 22

Project manager 66,000 50,300 73,800 76,400 5,300 11 30
Senior architect/designer 68,300 60,000 66,900 75,000 5,100 13 31
Architect/designer III 57,900 55,100 3,800 5 18
Architect/designer II 48,600 45,000 49,600 49,900 4,800 8 24
Architect/designer I 41,300 39,400 42,400 42,700 2,000 9 18
Third-year intern 47,500 50,000 2,600 5 14
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern 35,600 35,000 900 6 8
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

71 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 MICHIGAN

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,300 $80,000 $80,000 $92,000 $2,800 7 16

Project manager 77,400 72,000 74,800 92,000 1,300 10 58
Senior architect/designer 75,400 76,800 76,800 80,000 1,100 9 72
Architect/designer III 61,800 51,900 61,200 72,000 1,100 10 36
Architect/designer II 52,800 48,400 54,000 58,000 700 9 28
Architect/designer I 39,300 40,000 300 5 21
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 74,700 74,000 800 6 58
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,700 59,000 62,900 65,000 900 8 15
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 79,800 82,700 700 6 18
Specification writer
CAD manager 47,900 50,000 300 5 6
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 43,600 32,500 42,200 51,500 500 8 8
Administrative assistant 34,900 33,700 37,400 38,100 100 7 28
Receptionist 27,400 23,500 28,200 30,000 200 7 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

72 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 M I N N E S OTA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,200 $82,000 $90,000 $90,600 $8,200 21 72

Project manager 73,600 61,000 74,200 83,100 3,300 25 68
Senior architect/designer 72,600 65,000 70,000 85,100 1,900 19 83
Architect/designer III 58,500 56,100 60,000 62,300 1,500 19 69
Architect/designer II 48,100 46,000 48,000 51,100 1,400 17 54
Architect/designer I 43,600 40,400 41,500 49,100 1,500 20 53
Third-year intern 42,900 40,600 40,600 50,300 700 11 34
Second-year intern 37,800 35,000 36,000 42,000 400 9 29
Entry-level intern 31,600 25,000 33,600 35,500 500 15 21
Student 23,200 20,300 23,000 25,700 100 8 20
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,200 45,000 51,500 51,500 600 7 34
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,400 73,000 76,200 76,200 300 7 55
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 48,800 51,900 200 5 40
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 75,800 70,000 80,000 80,000 200 8 101
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,100 34,600 36,900 42,200 600 11 28
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 58,500 52,300 55,600 67,100 900 13 44
Landscape architect 53,000 48,000 51,900 58,600 600 7 16
Urban planner
Graphic designer 40,800 40,000 500 6 8
Construction administrator 66,700 59,000 70,000 75,000 2,700 7 12
Specification writer 61,000 58,600 1,500 6 17
CAD manager 51,400 45,000 49,900 52,800 1,300 11 16
Architectural drafter 36,400 33,500 34,100 40,000 1,000 14 64
IT manager/director 65,900 61,400 61,400 63,400 700 10 21
Controller 72,600 58,900 73,000 83,500 3,000 13 14
Bookkeeper 49,700 42,600 52,900 62,500 3,200 13 22
Accounting clerk 35,400 32,600 35,200 35,300 500 13 25
Business Development manager 72,400 63,000 75,000 85,500 700 8 10
Marketing manager 65,500 52,500 67,000 79,800 1,200 12 17
Marketing assistant 41,700 36,600 43,500 45,900 800 12 20
Human Resources director 84,600 84,400 1,400 6 6
Human Resources manager 61,200 50,600 67,000 70,100 1,200 8 9
Office manager 49,500 45,100 49,000 57,800 700 10 13
Administrative assistant 39,200 35,500 40,600 44,300 300 14 55
Receptionist 30,300 28,500 29,400 32,200 400 13 17
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

73 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 M I N N E A P O L I S / S T PA U L M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,600 $82,000 $90,000 $90,600 $7,400 16 66

Project manager 75,900 61,000 76,800 84,100 3,500 21 61
Senior architect/designer 72,700 64,900 70,000 85,100 1,900 18 82
Architect/designer III 58,700 56,300 60,000 62,300 1,500 17 67
Architect/designer II 48,000 46,000 48,000 51,300 1,400 16 52
Architect/designer I 43,300 40,000 41,500 49,100 1,300 18 49
Third-year intern 43,600 40,600 40,600 50,300 700 9 32
Second-year intern 37,800 35,000 36,000 42,000 400 9 29
Entry-level intern 32,000 25,800 33,800 35,800 500 14 20
Student 23,300 19,800 23,000 26,000 100 7 19
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,700 51,500 600 6 33
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,400 76,200 400 6 52
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 76,300 80,000 100 6 94
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,100 34,600 36,700 43,000 600 10 27
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,500 52,300 57,700 67,100 900 10 40
Landscape architect 54,600 56,100 400 6 12
Urban planner
Graphic designer 41,600 42,300 400 5 7
Construction administrator 66,700 59,000 70,000 75,000 2,700 7 12
Specification writer 61,000 58,600 1,500 6 17
CAD manager 52,300 44,800 52,800 52,800 600 8 13
Architectural drafter 36,800 34,100 34,100 40,000 700 11 48
IT manager/director 66,700 61,400 61,400 64,400 600 9 20
Controller 75,700 60,200 77,600 84,600 2,300 11 12
Bookkeeper 50,700 45,900 52,900 62,500 3,300 12 21
Accounting clerk 35,700 33,100 35,200 35,400 500 12 23
Business Development manager 75,200 67,400 77,300 86,600 800 7 9
Marketing manager 67,600 58,200 67,000 84,500 600 10 15
Marketing assistant 42,700 39,100 43,600 45,900 800 11 18
Human Resources director 91,900 91,800 1,400 5 5
Human Resources manager 61,200 50,600 67,000 70,100 1,200 8 9
Office manager 49,500 45,100 49,000 57,800 700 10 13
Administrative assistant 40,100 35,500 41,000 44,300 200 10 49
Receptionist 30,300 29,000 29,400 32,200 400 11 15
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

74 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,800 $76,300 $90,600 $90,600 $7,000 12 56

Project manager 76,900 61,000 80,000 87,200 3,500 14 48
Senior architect/designer 73,900 68,800 70,000 85,100 2,000 13 74
Architect/designer III 59,500 57,100 61,100 62,300 1,600 14 60
Architect/designer II 48,000 46,000 48,000 51,200 1,500 14 49
Architect/designer I 43,000 40,000 40,900 49,100 1,300 13 40
Third-year intern 43,900 40,600 700 6 27
Second-year intern 37,100 35,000 35,000 38,500 300 8 25
Entry-level intern 32,200 27,100 33,800 35,000 600 10 16
Student 23,000 23,000 100 6 18
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,300 34,600 34,600 43,000 600 8 23
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,800 52,300 57,700 67,100 900 8 33
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 70,700 72,500 2,200 5 9
Specification writer 61,000 58,600 1,500 6 17
CAD manager 52,900 44,900 52,800 52,800 600 7 12
Architectural drafter 37,000 34,100 300 5 30
IT manager/director 63,500 61,400 61,400 61,400 600 7 18
Controller 75,500 61,900 77,600 84,000 2,700 8 9
Bookkeeper 45,100 37,300 51,400 52,900 800 9 12
Accounting clerk 36,300 33,100 35,200 35,200 400 9 19
Business Development manager 74,900 76,400 900 6 8
Marketing manager 72,600 75,000 800 6 9
Marketing assistant 44,600 43,500 44,300 46,500 1,100 9 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 61,200 50,600 67,000 70,100 1,200 8 9
Office manager 50,000 37,500 51,500 58,000 1,000 7 8
Administrative assistant 42,000 41,000 41,000 44,300 400 8 32
Receptionist 31,000 27,000 29,000 34,800 300 7 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

75 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 MISSOURI

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,600 $75,000 $84,700 $89,300 $5,600 22 39

Project manager 71,600 65,000 72,000 75,000 5,600 27 77
Senior architect/designer 67,200 64,000 65,900 75,000 4,600 24 107
Architect/designer III 56,600 49,100 52,300 64,000 4,200 20 56
Architect/designer II 49,200 45,800 48,000 53,300 3,400 31 90
Architect/designer I 39,800 37,000 40,000 41,400 2,100 25 89
Third-year intern 37,900 36,000 38,000 40,000 1,500 15 41
Second-year intern 35,900 34,000 34,000 39,600 1,600 9 23
Entry-level intern 31,100 32,000 1,400 5 10
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 82,700 85,000 1,900 5 23
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 73,500 75,000 1,700 6 27
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,900 33,000 38,500 41,400 1,400 16 39
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,800 45,800 51,300 58,100 5,100 15 30
Landscape architect 53,900 52,700 2,700 5 23
Urban planner
Graphic designer 41,900 36,300 43,700 44,000 2,900 7 11
Construction administrator 68,000 54,000 69,300 75,000 3,500 7 16
Specification writer
CAD manager 50,100 48,000 3,100 5 5
Architectural drafter 35,700 31,500 35,000 38,400 1,200 7 13
IT manager/director 65,100 54,800 62,500 71,800 3,800 10 12
Controller 70,000 51,500 64,300 79,000 6,600 12 12
Bookkeeper 42,700 35,800 41,200 50,500 3,200 14 18
Accounting clerk 34,100 31,400 33,500 39,300 1,100 7 10
Business Development manager 81,200 88,000 11,600 5 5
Marketing manager 62,400 58,000 61,700 77,000 2,900 12 19
Marketing assistant 38,900 35,000 38,300 42,500 1,200 14 23
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 40,300 35,800 38,000 48,500 2,200 11 11
Administrative assistant 33,800 31,100 35,400 36,300 1,100 15 38
Receptionist 28,200 25,000 27,300 31,600 900 20 22
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

76 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 KANSAS CITY METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $91,500 $77,900 $89,300 $106,800 $6,500 8 12

Project manager 74,600 61,600 74,000 78,300 7,700 11 34
Senior architect/designer 67,900 58,000 67,000 79,900 2,100 10 35
Architect/designer III 57,400 47,600 61,100 65,100 1,500 10 22
Architect/designer II 49,700 47,000 51,000 53,000 3,100 14 40
Architect/designer I 39,400 36,500 40,000 40,000 2,700 12 37
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 34,800 35,800 1,100 5 8
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 52,200 51,000 2,700 6 9
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,900 59,000 1,500 6 7
Marketing assistant 43,100 41,900 1,200 5 10
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 41,300 33,000 38,000 55,000 1,900 7 7
Administrative assistant 35,300 35,400 700 6 13
Receptionist 32,300 26,100 32,300 38,800 600 8 8
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

77 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S T LO U I S M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $80,500 $70,000 $80,000 $96,300 $6,000 13 20

Project manager 69,400 65,000 69,500 75,000 7,100 18 49
Senior architect/designer 66,200 64,000 65,900 70,000 5,700 16 77
Architect/designer III 55,600 49,100 52,000 62,000 5,200 13 41
Architect/designer II 49,400 45,800 48,000 56,400 3,700 19 54
Architect/designer I 40,300 37,000 39,700 42,700 2,500 16 57
Third-year intern 38,900 35,800 40,000 45,000 1,700 11 22
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,600 36,400 41,400 49,000 1,500 11 30
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,500 38,400 52,000 60,000 6,200 10 22
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 63,300 69,300 4,100 5 13
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 65,200 67,000 4,800 6 7
Controller 69,800 51,500 68,500 79,000 8,300 8 8
Bookkeeper 43,800 36,500 41,200 53,900 3,700 10 13
Accounting clerk 32,700 33,500 1,000 5 8
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 62,900 61,900 3,500 6 12
Marketing assistant 36,800 31,000 37,500 42,500 1,400 9 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 33,200 30,100 34,100 36,300 1,200 10 28
Receptionist 26,700 25,000 27,000 29,000 900 13 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

78 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F S T LO U I S

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $81,100 $70,000 $80,000 $100,000 $6,100 12 19

Project manager 70,300 65,000 70,000 75,000 7,000 17 47
Senior architect/designer 66,200 64,000 65,900 70,000 5,800 15 76
Architect/designer III 55,600 49,100 52,000 62,000 5,300 12 40
Architect/designer II 49,800 46,000 48,000 57,500 3,700 16 51
Architect/designer I 40,400 37,000 39,700 44,000 2,400 15 55
Third-year intern 38,900 35,800 40,000 45,000 1,700 11 22
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,600 36,400 41,400 49,000 1,500 11 30
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,500 38,400 52,000 60,000 6,200 10 22
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 63,300 69,300 4,100 5 13
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 65,200 67,000 4,800 6 7
Controller 69,800 51,500 68,500 79,000 8,300 8 8
Bookkeeper 43,800 36,500 41,200 53,900 3,700 10 13
Accounting clerk 32,700 33,500 1,000 5 8
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 62,900 61,900 3,500 6 12
Marketing assistant 36,800 31,000 37,500 42,500 1,400 9 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 33,200 30,100 34,100 36,300 1,200 10 28
Receptionist 26,700 25,000 27,000 29,000 900 13 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

79 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 NEW JERSEY

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $92,400 $88,300 $97,200 $100,000 $5,400 17 66

Project manager 72,000 66,700 75,000 78,500 4,100 15 73
Senior architect/designer 75,400 74,800 80,700 80,700 3,600 14 61
Architect/designer III 56,500 48,400 57,600 63,700 1,400 11 41
Architect/designer II 49,900 48,800 48,800 53,000 1,200 12 66
Architect/designer I 43,300 40,000 43,500 45,000 1,400 14 27
Third-year intern 41,200 38,000 40,000 45,000 1,000 10 15
Second-year intern 40,300 40,500 1,000 6 12
Entry-level intern 32,900 25,000 36,100 37,300 500 9 14
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 62,100 66,000 1,200 6 11
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 73,600 76,600 2,900 6 15
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 38,400 33,100 33,100 45,800 1,100 10 42
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 45,000 39,000 48,000 51,000 600 10 13
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 63,100 64,800 1,600 5 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 44,200 32,200 39,500 53,500 2,800 12 12
Administrative assistant 39,500 38,300 500 9 94
Receptionist 30,500 26,300 32,000 35,000 500 9 10
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

80 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 N E W YO R K S TAT E

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $93,400 $76,800 $95,000 $105,000 10,600 44 179

Project manager 77,100 70,000 75,000 85,000 5,400 54 216
Senior architect/designer 75,900 65,000 79,900 86,500 4,200 42 210
Architect/designer III 61,900 55,000 64,500 70,000 2,600 41 191
Architect/designer II 54,300 51,800 52,000 56,600 2,500 47 264
Architect/designer I 42,600 39,600 42,000 45,000 2,200 45 298
Third-year intern 39,500 32,000 43,000 45,000 2,300 21 67
Second-year intern 38,300 35,300 40,000 40,000 1,400 29 69
Entry-level intern 34,900 33,000 36,000 38,000 1,000 23 50
Student 26,400 26,700 28,000 28,000 1,000 17 53
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 51,500 46,500 1,000 5 13
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 80,400 80,000 1,500 6 66
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 56,200 60,000 1,000 5 34
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 80,000 80,000 1,900 5 85
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,200 40,000 42,900 44,800 1,800 24 66
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 69,100 65,000 70,400 79,300 1,900 19 76
Landscape architect 70,600 70,000 2,000 6 24
Urban planner
Graphic designer 54,000 43,800 54,000 68,000 1,500 10 22
Construction administrator 65,600 63,000 63,000 70,000 1,100 9 46
Specification writer 72,700 55,000 76,100 84,000 2,000 7 13
CAD manager 72,500 60,000 70,000 89,000 2,300 12 15
Architectural drafter 47,900 46,200 50,000 53,000 2,500 12 65
IT manager/director 76,400 58,800 66,800 93,600 3,800 14 14
Controller 85,200 60,000 81,100 100,000 4,300 19 19
Bookkeeper 54,900 45,000 54,000 69,300 1,900 20 23
Accounting clerk 41,700 35,000 36,800 52,300 1,400 15 49
Business Development manager 83,800 70,700 80,000 100,000 2,100 12 12
Marketing manager 67,200 59,000 65,000 75,000 2,300 22 30
Marketing assistant 42,900 37,200 40,700 50,500 1,900 19 35
Human Resources director 92,500 53,500 89,000 130,000 6,200 8 8
Human Resources manager 64,000 50,500 66,000 77,000 4,500 7 7
Office manager 49,100 38,100 46,000 58,500 2,000 33 33
Administrative assistant 40,900 33,800 41,500 45,000 1,200 29 82
Receptionist 34,300 30,000 33,000 37,100 1,000 30 34
Librarian 49,700 44,500 50,000 55,100 3,100 7 9

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

81 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 N E W YO R K C I T Y M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $95,600 $85,000 $95,800 $110,000 $11,000 32 151

Project manager 79,600 74,500 77,500 87,300 6,100 38 168
Senior architect/designer 79,400 75,300 82,000 86,500 4,700 28 164
Architect/designer III 64,700 60,000 64,500 70,000 2,800 29 154
Architect/designer II 55,300 51,800 52,900 58,000 2,600 32 235
Architect/designer I 42,700 39,600 42,000 45,000 2,300 40 286
Third-year intern
Second-year intern 40,000 39,000 40,000 41,400 1,700 19 50
Entry-level intern 36,200 35,000 36,000 38,000 1,300 16 37
Student 26,700 27,400 28,000 28,000 1,000 13 49
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,900 40,000 43,300 44,800 2,000 18 58
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 71,700 65,000 70,400 83,300 2,000 13 64
Landscape architect 70,600 70,000 2,000 6 24
Urban planner
Graphic designer 55,800 40,000 59,700 68,000 1,900 7 14
Construction administrator 71,300 70,000 1,300 6 19
Specification writer
CAD manager 74,800 62,500 72,000 89,000 2,600 10 13
Architectural drafter 49,900 50,000 3,000 6 51
IT manager/director 76,700 55,000 66,000 104,200 4,400 11 11
Controller 94,200 74,000 96,500 114,300 5,000 13 13
Bookkeeper 60,100 49,600 60,000 71,400 2,000 14 16
Accounting clerk 47,800 38,000 46,500 55,000 2,000 11 28
Business Development manager 87,800 72,500 80,000 100,000 1,900 9 9
Marketing manager 69,800 53,000 71,900 80,000 2,800 18 19
Marketing assistant 44,700 38,000 42,000 54,500 2,400 16 28
Human Resources director 83,600 88,000 2,500 5 5
Human Resources manager 60,900 65,000 5,300 5 5
Office manager 53,900 41,500 50,000 65,000 2,400 22 22
Administrative assistant 44,800 40,000 45,000 45,200 1,500 20 55
Receptionist 35,200 30,000 35,000 39,100 1,100 25 29
Librarian 51,800 50,000 3,100 6 8

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

82 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F N E W YO R K

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $96,000 $85,000 $97,200 $110,000 $11,100 28 146

Project manager 80,100 75,000 77,500 87,300 6,200 35 163
Senior architect/designer 79,400 75,000 82,000 86,500 4,700 26 158
Architect/designer III 64,900 60,000 64,500 70,000 2,700 28 151
Architect/designer II 55,400 51,800 52,900 58,000 2,600 29 232
Architect/designer I 42,700 39,600 42,000 45,700 2,300 36 281
Third-year intern
Second-year intern 40,100 39,500 40,000 41,800 1,800 18 49
Entry-level intern 36,300 35,000 36,000 38,000 1,300 15 36
Student 26,800 27,400 28,000 28,000 1,000 12 48
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,900 40,000 43,300 44,800 2,000 18 58
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 71,700 65,000 70,400 83,300 2,000 13 64
Landscape architect 70,600 70,000 2,000 6 24
Urban planner
Graphic designer 55,800 40,000 59,700 68,000 1,900 7 14
Construction administrator 71,400 70,000 1,100 5 18
Specification writer
CAD manager 74,800 62,500 72,000 89,000 2,600 10 13
Architectural drafter 49,900 50,000 3,000 6 51
IT manager/director 76,700 55,000 66,000 104,200 4,400 11 11
Controller 102,000 81,100 98,300 115,000 5,400 11 11
Bookkeeper 60,100 49,600 60,000 71,400 2,000 14 16
Accounting clerk 47,800 38,000 46,500 55,000 2,000 11 28
Business Development manager 87,800 72,500 80,000 100,000 1,900 9 9
Marketing manager 69,800 53,000 71,900 80,000 2,800 18 19
Marketing assistant 44,700 38,000 42,000 54,500 2,400 16 28
Human Resources director 83,600 88,000 2,500 5 5
Human Resources manager 60,900 65,000 5,300 5 5
Office manager 54,800 41,300 50,000 65,000 2,300 20 20
Administrative assistant 44,800 40,000 45,000 45,200 1,400 19 54
Receptionist 35,200 30,000 35,000 39,100 1,100 25 29
Librarian 51,800 50,000 3,100 6 8

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

83 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 NORTH CAROLINA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,500 $70,000 $81,100 $100,000 $17,900 21 50

Project manager 74,600 64,600 76,000 83,500 6,100 20 53
Senior architect/designer 64,800 60,800 65,000 70,000 5,600 17 47
Architect/designer III 57,200 52,000 56,000 66,000 4,700 20 57
Architect/designer II 47,800 43,300 45,500 57,200 2,200 23 52
Architect/designer I 40,000 36,100 40,000 43,500 1,400 19 47
Third-year intern 40,900 35,800 43,000 48,000 1,900 13 26
Second-year intern 37,600 35,500 40,000 41,000 1,200 10 17
Entry-level intern 31,700 29,000 32,000 35,600 900 8 9
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 75,800 78,000 6,400 5 20
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,900 38,800 2,600 6 16
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,200 43,800 52,400 53,000 3,300 14 32
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 59,100 52,400 61,200 63,200 2,600 11 22
Specification writer 55,600 45,000 5,000 5 5
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 36,600 30,700 35,000 43,600 1,800 18 52
IT manager/director 53,600 42,500 48,400 59,500 3,700 8 9
Controller
Bookkeeper 40,000 36,500 40,000 49,000 2,600 11 11
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager 54,500 50,000 500 5 5
Marketing manager 56,100 44,000 57,500 67,300 2,500 7 8
Marketing assistant 39,500 41,000 1,200 6 9
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,800 31,600 40,000 46,000 2,100 20 20
Administrative assistant 33,800 34,500 35,700 36,100 900 13 28
Receptionist 29,300 25,000 28,300 32,000 800 17 18
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

84 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C H A R LOT T E M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $89,400 $81,100 $88,100 $101,900 $14,300 7 21

Project manager 79,900 83,500 9,700 5 27
Senior architect/designer 68,400 70,000 7,900 6 28
Architect/designer III 59,100 52,000 66,000 66,000 6,000 7 31
Architect/designer II 51,200 45,000 52,300 57,200 3,000 7 26
Architect/designer I 40,400 35,000 40,000 46,100 2,400 8 21
Third-year intern 42,000 48,200 2,300 5 11
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,700 52,400 3,200 6 16
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 59,200 63,000 3,600 6 13
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 43,700 43,600 3,100 5 18
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 58,700 60,800 3,200 5 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 42,800 39,500 41,800 48,000 3,100 7 7
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 26,800 24,500 28,200 29,200 1,300 8 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

85 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 RALEIGH/DURAM/CHAPEL HILL METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,900 $78,000 $89,000 $96,000 $12,100 8 16

Project manager 75,700 65,000 73,000 86,500 1,700 9 15
Senior architect/designer 67,500 65,000 2,000 6 11
Architect/designer III 58,300 52,500 56,000 63,300 2,700 9 19
Architect/designer II 46,600 41,000 45,000 51,500 1,100 7 10
Architect/designer I 41,000 40,000 100 6 15
Third-year intern 41,900 45,000 1,500 6 11
Second-year intern 37,500 37,000 500 5 6
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 49,600 41,000 3,400 6 13
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 41,900 41,500 1,500 6 6
Administrative assistant 32,400 35,000 300 6 7
Receptionist 36,000 32,000 400 5 5
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

86 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 OHIO

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $74,800 $60,800 $75,000 $84,000 $9,900 27 61

Project manager 65,800 60,000 65,800 72,100 7,600 31 84
Senior architect/designer 61,400 56,000 64,000 64,000 3,200 30 119
Architect/designer III 50,400 47,500 48,200 53,500 3,700 28 71
Architect/designer II 44,500 41,800 44,000 47,000 2,400 31 54
Architect/designer I 40,400 39,600 41,300 42,000 1,900 29 76
Third-year intern 37,000 34,000 37,000 43,000 2,400 21 43
Second-year intern 34,000 32,000 33,900 36,900 2,700 16 24
Entry-level intern 30,400 30,000 500 6 16
Student 24,500 20,800 27,000 28,500 300 10 16
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 61,200 56,100 2,900 5 21
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 35,700 34,500 35,500 38,000 1,100 16 35
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,100 50,000 65,100 65,100 1,900 15 59
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 51,300 55,000 1,100 6 25
Construction administrator 58,000 53,800 59,100 64,900 4,700 18 30
Specification writer 61,200 46,500 57,000 75,000 4,000 10 11
CAD manager 46,100 40,000 47,500 53,000 2,500 11 11
Architectural drafter 36,400 33,000 37,200 40,100 1,500 23 54
IT manager/director 54,200 50,500 54,000 59,400 5,100 12 12
Controller 57,500 43,500 58,900 71,100 5,100 9 9
Bookkeeper 38,600 33,800 38,000 43,700 1,700 20 22
Accounting clerk 34,200 33,500 1,100 6 13
Business Development manager 68,300 60,000 62,500 74,300 6,800 8 11
Marketing manager 63,200 58,500 5,200 6 8
Marketing assistant 39,600 37,000 40,800 41,800 3,100 10 16
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,700 33,500 39,000 44,000 2,800 16 16
Administrative assistant 32,600 29,400 33,500 39,000 1,500 22 42
Receptionist 28,000 25,500 27,000 30,200 1,300 21 21
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

87 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I N C I N N AT I M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $85,800 $84,000 $84,000 $91,200 $17,500 7 17

Project manager 68,300 58,400 66,500 75,800 6,700 7 30
Senior architect/designer 63,500 58,400 59,200 73,500 5,500 10 36
Architect/designer III 53,300 48,200 53,500 59,200 6,100 11 25
Architect/designer II 46,800 41,000 47,500 51,200 2,800 9 14
Architect/designer I 42,100 41,300 42,000 42,000 2,500 7 32
Third-year intern 39,300 39,800 4,600 6 18
Second-year intern 34,500 30,000 36,000 38,000 3,900 7 11
Entry-level intern
Student 27,600 29,000 300 5 6
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 60,300 65,100 1,600 5 44
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer 67,600 73,000 5,400 5 5
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 41,600 39,800 2,700 5 5
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 34,400 32,300 2,200 6 14
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

88 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 COLUMBUS METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $75,000 $60,000 $75,000 $85,100 $4,300 9 21

Project manager 67,900 60,500 67,200 70,000 2,200 9 20
Senior architect/designer 62,100 64,000 64,000 64,000 700 10 61
Architect/designer III 50,700 47,500 48,000 50,200 1,100 7 27
Architect/designer II 43,200 43,000 43,000 45,000 1,900 10 21
Architect/designer I 39,600 37,000 40,700 41,000 500 7 20
Third-year intern 33,100 34,000 400 6 13
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 38,300 34,500 300 6 9
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 49,000 50,000 1,900 5 8
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 54,800 55,500 2,400 6 8
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 32,800 32,500 700 5 12
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 38,700 38,000 1,000 5 7
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 45,600 40,000 45,000 54,400 2,200 7 7
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 29,000 26,000 30,000 31,000 400 7 7
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

89 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 OREGON

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $78,600 $58,200 $67,500 $90,000 $14,400 15 39

Project manager 64,800 58,900 59,000 80,400 4,800 19 72
Senior architect/designer 72,200 54,900 74,800 84,900 13,600 15 106
Architect/designer III 52,700 45,700 56,000 58,900 4,400 16 73
Architect/designer II 45,900 42,500 44,900 50,500 3,800 14 66
Architect/designer I 38,900 37,400 38,800 40,500 1,700 17 40
Third-year intern 36,200 31,600 33,100 42,600 2,000 10 25
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,600 49,900 4,400 5 31
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,500 45,300 71,300 71,300 8,500 9 36
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer 72,200 68,600 8,200 5 8
CAD manager 57,200 52,000 4,900 5 5
Architectural drafter 37,200 35,300 2,500 6 24
IT manager/director 50,700 54,000 2,400 5 5
Controller 67,000 54,600 58,000 82,100 10,700 10 10
Bookkeeper 38,900 39,300 40,200 40,900 2,200 9 16
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 58,700 56,500 4,000 6 6
Marketing assistant 42,200 41,600 2,400 6 6
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 42,200 29,600 35,500 51,000 3,900 9 9
Administrative assistant 39,100 34,100 43,900 44,500 2,900 8 29
Receptionist 29,900 27,500 30,400 33,800 900 13 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

90 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 P O RT L A N D M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $81,700 $67,000 $70,500 $90,000 $12,300 13 39

Project manager 65,100 58,900 60,200 73,500 4,400 19 77
Senior architect/designer 71,900 54,900 74,800 84,900 13,300 16 108
Architect/designer III 52,700 45,700 56,000 58,900 4,000 16 73
Architect/designer II 46,000 42,500 45,000 50,500 3,900 13 65
Architect/designer I 39,200 37,600 40,100 40,500 1,800 15 37
Third-year intern 36,100 31,600 33,100 41,900 1,900 10 25
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,600 45,100 71,300 71,300 8,500 8 35
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer 72,200 68,600 8,200 5 8
CAD manager 57,200 52,000 4,900 5 5
Architectural drafter 38,400 39,100 2,000 5 27
IT manager/director 55,600 59,000 2,000 5 5
Controller 67,000 54,600 58,000 82,100 10,700 10 10
Bookkeeper 41,200 40,200 40,200 41,100 2,100 8 15
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,800 63,000 2,900 5 5
Marketing assistant 42,200 41,600 2,400 6 6
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,600 30,000 42,000 52,000 4,500 7 7
Administrative assistant 38,500 33,500 43,900 44,500 2,600 8 31
Receptionist 31,400 28,500 31,800 34,300 900 12 13
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

91 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F P O RT L A N D

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,700 $65,000 $67,500 $110,000 $15,400 12 31

Project manager 64,300 58,900 58,900 73,500 3,900 17 69
Senior architect/designer 72,200 54,900 74,800 84,900 13,500 14 105
Architect/designer III 52,800 45,500 56,000 60,200 4,100 15 71
Architect/designer II 46,000 42,500 45,000 50,500 3,900 13 65
Architect/designer I 39,200 37,600 40,100 40,500 1,800 15 37
Third-year intern 34,600 31,600 33,100 36,500 1,200 8 22
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,600 45,100 71,300 71,300 8,500 8 35
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer 72,200 68,600 8,200 5 8
CAD manager 57,200 52,000 4,900 5 5
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller 67,800 53,800 56,000 84,100 9,100 9 9
Bookkeeper 39,700 39,900 40,200 40,400 2,300 7 14
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,800 63,000 2,900 5 5
Marketing assistant 42,200 41,600 2,400 6 6
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,000 38,800 3,600 6 6
Administrative assistant 39,300 34,200 43,900 44,500 2,900 7 28
Receptionist 31,600 28,600 31,800 34,800 1,000 11 12
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

92 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 P E N N SY LVA N I A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $87,900 $74,600 $87,000 $103,300 $11,200 31 82

Project manager 69,900 60,000 71,900 80,000 5,000 45 173
Senior architect/designer 64,900 59,000 66,300 72,900 3,600 26 104
Architect/designer III 55,000 50,200 53,500 60,000 1,900 26 91
Architect/designer II 47,500 42,000 47,800 52,000 2,000 32 106
Architect/designer I 41,600 37,000 40,000 48,000 2,200 37 117
Third-year intern 37,600 31,500 38,700 42,500 1,400 28 66
Second-year intern 35,800 33,000 36,500 39,200 500 16 38
Entry-level intern 33,200 31,000 35,000 36,000 500 15 27
Student 29,000 26,000 30,100 31,200 300 13 32
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,200 46,600 900 6 18
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 82,300 73,300 82,500 91,700 5,200 7 48
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 67,800 60,600 70,400 70,400 3,200 7 25
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 35,800 32,500 36,100 40,000 700 11 32
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 54,000 46,900 51,000 64,400 1,600 14 71
Landscape architect 52,300 44,300 52,000 54,300 2,200 7 20
Urban planner
Graphic designer 48,100 45,000 50,000 50,000 1,400 9 16
Construction administrator 45,100 40,000 41,000 55,000 3,400 7 13
Specification writer
CAD manager 43,200 34,300 43,900 49,400 3,800 8 8
Architectural drafter 37,700 34,800 36,800 42,500 1,500 17 74
IT manager/director 74,800 61,900 73,800 80,800 3,600 10 14
Controller 73,600 52,000 65,000 98,900 5,600 19 19
Bookkeeper 38,400 33,800 40,000 41,700 1,200 16 18
Accounting clerk 39,000 33,800 34,300 51,500 1,300 11 22
Business Development manager 68,800 57,500 60,000 65,800 2,700 9 12
Marketing manager 54,600 42,000 54,000 69,000 1,800 11 11
Marketing assistant 38,500 33,100 38,900 40,400 2,900 15 26
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,400 38,500 48,000 55,000 2,400 19 19
Administrative assistant 35,100 32,400 35,000 37,800 1,100 17 55
Receptionist 29,200 24,000 30,000 33,000 800 25 27
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

93 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 PHILADELPHIA METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $85,200 $75,600 $83,200 $95,000 $10,900 26 73

Project manager 73,500 64,500 73,000 90,000 4,800 28 105
Senior architect/designer 67,100 59,000 70,000 72,900 4,000 18 72
Architect/designer III 55,400 50,200 53,000 60,000 2,200 20 69
Architect/designer II 48,600 42,500 49,700 55,000 2,300 25 81
Architect/designer I 42,000 37,000 40,700 48,600 2,300 23 84
Third-year intern 38,900 32,000 39,600 46,000 1,200 22 47
Second-year intern 36,900 34,100 39,200 39,400 700 13 34
Entry-level intern 34,700 32,800 36,000 37,400 700 12 24
Student 29,400 26,500 31,200 31,600 300 12 29
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,500 51,000 57,900 64,400 1,900 7 39
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 41,300 48,400 700 5 7
IT manager/director 78,900 80,000 5,300 6 8
Controller 87,400 62,700 72,000 121,500 5,900 9 9
Bookkeeper 45,500 38,400 42,000 52,800 1,400 11 11
Accounting clerk 42,300 51,500 1,300 6 12
Business Development manager 75,800 65,000 5,400 6 7
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant 42,000 38,400 39,800 43,400 4,000 11 16
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,200 36,000 50,000 55,000 2,800 11 11
Administrative assistant 38,300 37,000 41,200 41,200 1,500 11 24
Receptionist 32,600 30,000 30,700 36,400 400 14 15
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

94 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $88,100 $80,000 $87,000 $102,600 $16,600 14 42

Project manager 78,000 71,000 73,000 90,000 5,900 15 68
Senior architect/designer 66,900 59,000 70,000 72,900 4,400 11 60
Architect/designer III 56,200 50,200 58,000 60,000 2,900 13 42
Architect/designer II 49,500 47,400 50,000 55,000 2,600 16 57
Architect/designer I 43,500 40,000 42,100 50,000 2,700 13 63
Third-year intern 41,200 34,400 44,800 46,000 1,300 12 30
Second-year intern 36,400 33,400 39,200 39,200 500 10 28
Entry-level intern 34,900 34,300 36,000 37,400 600 8 18
Student 30,100 27,000 31,200 32,000 400 9 26
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 58,300 57,900 2,000 5 36
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 82,100 80,000 6,000 5 7
Controller 76,800 68,500 7,600 6 6
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant 40,200 38,900 39,800 40,900 4,400 8 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 51,900 53,600 4,300 5 5
Administrative assistant 38,800 37,000 41,200 41,200 1,700 7 19
Receptionist 32,600 28,500 31,300 36,000 300 11 12
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

95 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 P H I L A D E L P H I A M E T R O A R E A (excluding City of Philadelphia)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $81,200 $68,500 $77,000 $82,400 $3,100 12 31

Project manager 65,200 55,800 60,000 74,700 3,000 13 37
Senior architect/designer 68,100 58,400 63,200 83,200 2,200 7 12
Architect/designer III 54,200 53,000 53,000 61,900 1,000 7 27
Architect/designer II 46,600 40,200 42,000 52,200 1,700 9 24
Architect/designer I 37,800 33,400 35,000 42,500 1,100 10 21
Third-year intern 34,800 28,500 35,000 39,800 1,100 10 17
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 48,300 38,400 51,000 57,200 1,000 7 7
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 41,500 37,300 1,600 6 6
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

96 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 PITTSBURGH METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager

Project manager $66,200 $59,000 $65,000 $73,200 $5,100 11 57
Senior architect/designer 62,300 50,000 65,000 66,300 2,800 8 31
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 45,500 41,000 45,300 48,000 1,200 8 27
Architect/designer I 40,700 37,000 38,800 41,000 1,000 8 24
Third-year intern 36,300 32,800 38,300 40,000 1,600 7 21
Second-year intern 34,700 34,400 700 5 9
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 36,000 40,000 300 5 11
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 50,100 46,900 1,000 6 30
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 38,000 36,800 36,800 42,500 1,900 8 47
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 54,300 50,500 1,500 6 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,800 35,000 48,000 58,400 1,800 7 7
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 25,000 21,700 23,900 28,000 1,500 9 10
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

97 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 SOUTH CAROLINA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager

Project manager $68,700 $73,100 $3,700 5 12
Senior architect/designer 64,500 63,600 3,600 6 13
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 51,400 51,400 2,600 5 8
Architect/designer I 39,900 38,100 38,500 43,300 2,000 8 13
Third-year intern 39,000 36,300 38,000 40,000 1,400 7 9
Second-year intern 33,200 33,500 1,400 6 7
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 30,900 28,900 29,500 35,800 1,400 7 10
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 43,900 45,300 1,900 5 5
Administrative assistant 31,800 36,100 700 5 13
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

98 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 TENNESSEE

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $73,300 $55,000 $73,300 $88,200 $24,500 9 20

Project manager 58,700 50,500 57,000 63,700 3,300 14 42
Senior architect/designer 54,000 45,000 52,400 64,000 2,200 10 19
Architect/designer III 45,100 41,000 45,000 51,700 1,900 8 11
Architect/designer II 42,300 38,600 42,600 45,000 1,700 7 11
Architect/designer I 40,600 37,000 40,000 44,000 2,300 10 20
Third-year intern 37,400 35,800 37,500 38,500 2,200 9 14
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 30,600 26,000 30,000 34,500 1,200 9 13
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 47,200 38,900 42,000 57,200 2,300 7 9
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 52,500 47,400 50,000 55,000 4,500 7 9
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 37,400 32,000 38,000 44,500 1,600 11 31
IT manager/director 54,300 52,600 3,000 5 5
Controller 46,200 42,000 6,600 5 7
Bookkeeper 36,500 32,400 35,000 39,800 2,200 8 8
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 34,500 27,000 40,000 40,800 1,300 8 13
Receptionist 26,300 22,000 26,000 29,800 700 12 12
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

99 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 T E X AS

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,700 $70,000 $80,000 $103,300 $15,800 64 162

Project manager 71,900 57,500 77,000 82,900 6,400 69 236
Senior architect/designer 64,700 56,000 65,500 71,500 4,900 49 124
Architect/designer III 56,300 50,000 55,500 63,000 4,100 44 140
Architect/designer II 50,600 45,000 50,200 56,000 4,300 51 212
Architect/designer I 42,400 36,000 45,000 47,900 2,400 67 216
Third-year intern 38,800 33,800 38,000 43,500 3,600 60 150
Second-year intern 35,900 32,200 35,800 40,000 2,400 41 82
Entry-level intern 33,600 32,000 34,000 35,300 2,500 37 125
Student 21,300 19,800 20,000 22,800 500 23 43
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 72,900 68,000 71,000 77,300 2,300 9 59
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs) 61,900 70,000 3,500 5 17
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs) 74,600 75,500 7,400 6 76
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 39,200 37,800 38,800 42,000 3,100 20 58
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,700 52,000 56,200 58,700 7,300 22 84
Landscape architect 64,800 61,400 3,500 6 12
Urban planner 57,200 49,100 4,200 5 23
Graphic designer 44,800 40,000 40,000 48,800 2,700 14 35
Construction administrator 58,400 57,700 57,700 65,000 10,800 25 94
Specification writer
CAD manager 54,500 45,500 58,000 58,000 2,800 9 12
Architectural drafter 34,600 27,000 34,000 40,000 1,500 25 47
IT manager/director 77,500 68,000 86,000 87,000 5,400 17 27
Controller 68,300 45,800 71,600 87,100 6,800 11 12
Bookkeeper 40,800 34,000 41,000 49,900 4,200 35 44
Accounting clerk 34,400 31,000 35,000 35,800 3,000 13 34
Business Development manager 68,900 54,000 70,000 85,400 5,800 12 12
Marketing manager 60,000 50,000 60,000 69,800 5,500 18 27
Marketing assistant 44,200 37,300 44,100 49,400 2,800 20 55
Human Resources director 69,600 60,900 10,800 5 6
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,500 30,200 36,300 46,600 2,500 39 39
Administrative assistant 37,300 36,800 37,200 39,200 2,800 34 120
Receptionist 28,900 23,600 28,600 32,900 900 39 47
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

100 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 AUSTIN METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $77,900 $80,000 $7,200 6 10

Project manager 56,300 52,000 52,400 59,500 5,300 12 20
Senior architect/designer
Architect/designer III 49,400 46,100 47,100 54,000 2,900 7 10
Architect/designer II 43,600 39,900 43,000 49,000 3,100 7 12
Architect/designer I 37,400 32,100 38,000 40,500 2,000 9 14
Third-year intern 42,300 39,000 44,000 46,000 1,300 7 10
Second-year intern 33,700 33,000 34,000 35,800 2,300 7 12
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper 43,300 43,500 3,300 5 5
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

101 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 DALLAS METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $90,100 $70,000 $83,100 $120,100 $21,100 21 74

Project manager 79,600 70,500 80,000 95,000 7,300 21 86
Senior architect/designer 69,200 63,500 70,000 72,500 8,300 12 38
Architect/designer III 60,100 55,500 60,000 65,500 4,500 19 67
Architect/designer II 54,100 50,200 55,000 55,000 7,200 15 87
Architect/designer I 45,600 43,000 46,000 50,000 3,200 20 104
Third-year intern 40,700 38,000 39,600 43,600 4,700 20 74
Second-year intern 37,900 36,000 40,000 40,400 2,500 12 28
Entry-level intern 34,400 34,000 34,000 36,500 3,100 14 80
Student 21,100 20,000 20,000 24,400 600 9 21
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,200 37,800 40,100 42,000 3,200 9 38
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 56,200 52,000 58,700 58,700 9,200 10 58
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 45,000 40,000 2,400 5 17
Construction administrator 60,200 57,700 57,700 57,700 16,900 9 52
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 39,300 34,700 40,000 45,000 1,900 7 10
IT manager/director 84,000 66,300 86,000 93,700 9,700 7 8
Controller
Bookkeeper 46,800 36,000 50,000 50,000 7,200 11 18
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 63,600 50,000 57,000 80,000 7,400 7 10
Marketing assistant 45,400 37,300 46,500 51,500 3,600 10 26
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 49,800 37,600 44,600 60,500 4,400 8 8
Administrative assistant 36,900 36,300 37,200 38,300 4,400 14 56
Receptionist 30,100 24,500 30,700 34,400 800 13 17
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

102 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 CITY OF DALLAS

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $90,900 $70,100 $85,000 $120,100 $22,300 17 68

Project manager 80,500 72,100 80,000 95,000 7,600 17 82
Senior architect/designer 69,600 60,000 70,000 72,500 8,700 11 35
Architect/designer III 60,700 55,500 63,000 65,500 4,600 16 64
Architect/designer II 54,300 50,200 55,000 55,000 7,300 14 86
Architect/designer I 46,100 45,000 46,000 50,000 3,300 15 98
Third-year intern 41,000 38,000 38,800 43,600 5,000 16 68
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern 34,500 34,000 34,000 36,500 3,200 11 76
Student 20,900 20,000 20,000 20,800 400 7 19
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,000 37,800 40,100 42,000 3,300 7 35
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 56,200 52,000 58,700 58,700 9,200 9 57
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 59,700 57,700 57,700 57,700 17,100 8 51
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 41,500 40,000 2,200 6 9
IT manager/director 83,000 86,000 10,600 6 7
Controller
Bookkeeper 47,900 37,500 50,000 50,000 8,000 9 16
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 65,300 60,000 8,200 6 9
Marketing assistant 45,800 37,300 48,000 53,700 3,600 9 25
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 51,000 36,500 46,200 64,000 4,500 7 7
Administrative assistant 37,100 37,000 37,200 38,300 4,500 12 54
Receptionist 30,400 25,000 30,700 35,000 700 11 15
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

103 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 H O U S TO N M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $92,100 $72,500 $80,000 $105,000 $12,300 14 25

Project manager 70,600 57,200 68,000 81,500 4,600 19 61
Senior architect/designer 64,900 56,000 68,900 68,900 3,100 20 57
Architect/designer III 56,100 49,000 50,400 60,700 3,700 9 34
Architect/designer II 48,700 42,000 47,600 56,000 2,100 14 65
Architect/designer I 38,400 35,700 36,000 42,000 1,900 23 51
Third-year intern 41,300 33,700 46,200 46,200 3,000 10 21
Second-year intern 36,600 31,300 36,000 42,000 1,600 9 20
Entry-level intern 31,300 26,500 34,000 35,300 1,400 9 20
Student 24,400 22,800 400 6 8
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,300 55,700 3,300 6 20
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 44,900 40,000 3,400 6 12
Construction administrator 57,500 60,000 2,600 5 8
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 67,700 68,000 2,600 5 5
Controller 73,100 78,000 5,400 5 5
Bookkeeper 39,000 30,000 40,000 42,300 1,400 7 7
Accounting clerk 29,100 31,500 1,900 5 5
Business Development manager 75,900 70,000 3,600 5 5
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,600 36,500 43,300 50,800 1,800 10 10
Administrative assistant 40,100 39,800 1,300 5 19
Receptionist 29,200 27,500 28,600 32,400 1,000 9 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

104 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F H O U S TO N

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $90,900 $72,500 $80,000 $105,000 $12,800 13 24

Project manager 70,100 57,100 68,000 81,500 4,700 18 60
Senior architect/designer 64,900 56,000 68,900 68,900 3,100 20 57
Architect/designer III 56,100 49,000 50,400 60,700 3,700 9 34
Architect/designer II 48,700 42,000 47,600 56,000 2,100 14 65
Architect/designer I 38,300 35,700 36,000 41,600 1,900 22 50
Third-year intern 41,300 33,700 46,200 46,200 3,000 10 21
Second-year intern 36,600 31,300 36,000 42,000 1,600 9 20
Entry-level intern 31,100 26,500 34,000 35,300 1,400 8 19
Student 24,400 22,800 400 6 8
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 55,600 55,700 3,400 5 19
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer 44,900 40,000 3,400 6 12
Construction administrator 57,500 60,000 2,600 5 8
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 67,700 68,000 2,600 5 5
Controller 73,100 78,000 5,400 5 5
Bookkeeper 39,000 30,000 40,000 42,300 1,400 7 7
Accounting clerk 29,100 31,500 1,900 5 5
Business Development manager 75,900 70,000 3,600 5 5
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,600 36,500 43,300 50,800 1,800 10 10
Administrative assistant
Receptionist 29,200 27,500 28,600 32,400 1,000 9 9
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

105 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S A N A NTO N I O M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $69,300 $54,000 $69,000 $78,000 $15,400 8 10

Project manager
Senior architect/designer 54,200 56,700 4,600 6 7
Architect/designer III
Architect/designer II 39,700 35,000 37,000 45,000 3,500 7 15
Architect/designer I 33,200 35,000 2,300 5 13
Third-year intern 34,100 32,000 34,000 35,000 3,400 7 15
Second-year intern 32,900 32,000 3,600 5 11
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 34,000 34,000 3,500 5 5
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

106 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 U TA H

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager

Project manager $60,300 $63,000 $7,300 6 23
Senior architect/designer 51,800 53,000 5,000 5 26
Architect/designer III 47,500 46,800 2,900 5 22
Architect/designer II 41,600 40,400 2,000 6 14
Architect/designer I 38,900 37,000 38,000 43,800 2,300 7 14
Third-year intern 36,600 37,400 2,900 6 9
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager 42,700 42,300 3,300 5 5
Architectural drafter 33,600 33,000 34,300 34,500 1,800 10 32
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant 35,900 35,800 2,300 5 8
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 38,100 30,400 2,800 5 5
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

107 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S A LT L A K E C I T Y M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager

Project manager $60,300 $63,000 $7,300 6 23
Senior architect/designer 51,800 53,000 5,000 5 26
Architect/designer III 47,500 46,800 2,900 5 22
Architect/designer II 41,600 40,400 2,000 6 14
Architect/designer I 38,900 37,000 38,000 43,800 2,300 7 14
Third-year intern 36,600 37,400 2,900 6 9
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager 42,700 42,300 3,300 5 5
Architectural drafter 33,600 33,000 34,300 34,500 1,800 10 32
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant 35,900 35,800 2,300 5 8
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 38,100 30,400 2,800 5 5
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

108 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 VIRGINIA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $79,600 $68,400 $80,000 $86,100 $9,700 27 62

Project manager 71,100 59,800 70,000 76,000 6,000 31 71
Senior architect/designer 64,900 60,000 62,200 76,000 4,600 24 52
Architect/designer III 58,700 49,700 58,500 65,100 3,200 23 54
Architect/designer II 49,400 42,000 50,000 55,000 2,700 24 49
Architect/designer I 42,500 36,700 44,800 45,500 2,300 18 46
Third-year intern 43,400 36,100 45,000 50,000 1,600 17 39
Second-year intern 37,000 34,000 35,700 43,200 1,300 21 40
Entry-level intern 32,000 29,900 32,700 34,000 1,100 16 26
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 45,400 37,900 50,000 50,000 2,600 11 30
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 54,200 53,900 53,900 54,000 1,400 10 27
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 56,900 55,000 55,000 62,000 7,800 7 15
Specification writer
CAD manager 41,400 38,000 41,000 45,800 2,100 8 8
Architectural drafter 35,200 30,500 35,100 37,200 1,600 10 12
IT manager/director 58,300 45,000 55,000 79,500 3,000 7 7
Controller 66,100 62,000 6,300 6 6
Bookkeeper 38,000 34,300 37,400 45,000 1,400 11 11
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 64,600 49,000 62,600 86,300 1,900 7 9
Marketing assistant 33,900 29,100 33,900 37,300 900 8 10
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 35,000 26,000 32,800 45,000 1,400 8 8
Administrative assistant 34,900 30,100 33,100 38,500 1,300 16 31
Receptionist 30,400 27,000 30,000 34,000 1,100 11 11
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

109 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 RICHMOND METRO AREA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,400 $80,000 $14,500 6 16

Project manager 64,900 59,800 68,100 68,600 8,600 8 26
Senior architect/designer 57,300 51,500 60,000 62,300 5,800 7 14
Architect/designer III 52,900 49,700 4,400 6 17
Architect/designer II 45,300 41,900 42,000 50,000 3,000 8 19
Architect/designer I 39,700 35,000 37,000 44,800 3,600 8 21
Third-year intern 36,600 36,100 2,100 5 10
Second-year intern 34,200 32,300 35,000 35,400 2,200 8 12
Entry-level intern 31,100 32,000 2,000 5 9
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 43,000 46,500 3,300 6 21
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs)
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 33,900 30,000 33,100 38,500 1,800 8 16
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

110 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 W AS H I N G TO N S TAT E

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $86,600 $72,300 $80,400 $93,400 $14,300 34 117

Project manager 67,300 60,000 70,100 74,300 6,600 43 169
Senior architect/designer 63,100 55,500 62,500 71,100 4,700 39 130
Architect/designer III 57,600 53,900 60,000 62,200 3,700 32 204
Architect/designer II 47,500 44,800 48,000 50,800 3,200 33 161
Architect/designer I 41,600 38,000 43,000 44,200 1,900 23 106
Third-year intern 40,400 39,000 39,700 43,300 2,000 26 50
Second-year intern 35,500 35,600 35,600 35,600 2,500 14 60
Entry-level intern 32,000 31,000 32,100 32,300 500 15 45
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 40,600 35,800 35,800 43,500 1,900 13 29
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 56,700 56,500 56,500 56,800 6,300 12 51
Landscape architect 49,700 52,800 1,300 6 13
Urban planner
Graphic designer 52,800 45,700 56,000 59,000 2,500 7 19
Construction administrator 70,500 72,000 1,400 5 8
Specification writer 68,000 66,800 67,600 68,900 6,600 8 13
CAD manager 56,500 43,800 59,600 62,900 3,100 8 10
Architectural drafter 42,000 36,600 41,300 44,400 1,600 14 33
IT manager/director 62,300 49,800 55,000 72,100 5,100 10 11
Controller 71,200 60,000 66,500 77,500 5,700 10 11
Bookkeeper 43,300 38,000 39,800 48,600 1,400 19 25
Accounting clerk 37,000 32,400 39,900 39,900 3,100 10 20
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 51,000 38,000 51,700 54,000 3,700 11 15
Marketing assistant 38,600 37,400 37,700 42,000 2,400 10 15
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager 43,500 45,000 3,200 5 5
Office manager 44,200 38,400 42,500 51,000 2,800 23 23
Administrative assistant 38,500 34,800 40,600 43,500 1,700 23 66
Receptionist 30,600 26,800 29,500 35,000 1,100 17 22
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

111 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 S E AT T L E M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $85,000 $73,300 $80,400 $93,400 $13,600 27 93

Project manager 68,300 60,000 73,000 74,300 6,800 33 135
Senior architect/designer 65,000 55,500 62,900 74,400 4,900 30 112
Architect/designer III 58,100 56,800 60,000 62,200 3,700 28 197
Architect/designer II 47,700 45,000 48,000 50,800 3,200 30 157
Architect/designer I 41,800 38,000 43,000 44,200 1,900 20 103
Third-year intern 40,400 38,500 39,700 44,000 2,100 21 45
Second-year intern 35,700 35,600 35,600 35,600 2,300 12 58
Entry-level intern 31,900 31,000 32,100 32,100 500 14 44
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,000 35,800 35,800 43,000 1,700 10 25
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,000 56,500 56,500 57,000 6,400 11 50
Landscape architect 49,800 52,800 1,500 5 12
Urban planner
Graphic designer 52,800 45,700 56,000 59,000 2,500 7 19
Construction administrator
Specification writer 67,800 66,400 67,600 67,800 7,100 7 12
CAD manager 57,900 48,500 61,000 64,800 3,300 7 9
Architectural drafter 45,400 40,400 41,900 51,500 1,000 10 16
IT manager/director 62,500 47,000 51,000 90,000 4,600 7 7
Controller 74,000 62,300 71,500 80,300 6,000 9 10
Bookkeeper 42,400 37,600 39,800 47,200 1,200 14 20
Accounting clerk 38,500 34,400 39,900 39,900 3,000 7 17
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 50,300 41,800 51,700 54,000 3,500 9 13
Marketing assistant 38,100 34,700 37,700 41,000 2,200 9 13
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 45,400 38,400 45,000 51,900 2,900 19 19
Administrative assistant 39,300 36,800 40,600 43,500 1,800 18 58
Receptionist 31,300 28,900 31,000 35,000 1,200 15 19
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

112 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 C I T Y O F S E AT T L E

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $85,700 $78,000 $80,400 $93,400 $14,400 22 87

Project manager 68,700 63,900 73,000 74,300 7,200 27 126
Senior architect/designer 65,200 55,500 62,900 74,400 5,100 26 108
Architect/designer III 58,400 60,000 60,000 62,200 3,900 21 187
Architect/designer II 47,800 45,000 48,000 50,800 3,400 24 148
Architect/designer I 41,800 38,800 43,000 44,200 2,000 16 99
Third-year intern 39,700 38,000 39,700 40,000 2,000 19 39
Second-year intern 35,800 35,600 35,600 35,600 2,500 9 55
Entry-level intern 32,100 30,400 32,100 32,900 600 10 36
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 41,400 35,800 35,800 43,000 1,800 9 24
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,000 56,500 56,500 57,000 6,400 11 50
Landscape architect 49,800 52,800 1,500 5 12
Urban planner
Graphic designer 53,700 56,000 2,600 6 18
Construction administrator
Specification writer 67,800 66,400 67,600 67,800 7,100 7 12
CAD manager 58,400 61,000 3,600 6 8
Architectural drafter 46,500 40,000 46,700 51,900 1,300 9 12
IT manager/director 62,500 47,000 51,000 90,000 4,600 7 7
Controller 74,900 61,500 76,500 83,000 6,700 8 9
Bookkeeper 44,600 39,800 39,800 50,500 1,600 9 15
Accounting clerk 38,500 34,400 39,900 39,900 3,000 7 17
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 50,300 41,800 51,700 54,000 3,500 9 13
Marketing assistant 37,100 33,400 37,700 39,400 2,400 8 12
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 46,000 38,500 45,000 51,900 3,100 18 18
Administrative assistant 39,600 37,300 40,600 43,500 1,900 15 55
Receptionist 31,500 28,900 31,000 35,200 1,300 13 17
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

113 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 W AS H I N G TO N , D C M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $102,600 $80,000 $105,000 $120,000 $7,900 25 71

Project manager 80,000 73,300 80,700 81,300 5,500 31 105
Senior architect/designer 73,200 66,400 72,000 86,100 5,100 31 122
Architect/designer III 65,200 61,900 67,800 68,300 2,800 28 141
Architect/designer II 53,300 46,500 51,000 59,000 1,900 27 128
Architect/designer I 45,900 42,800 47,000 50,000 1,500 24 109
Third-year intern 45,400 40,000 45,000 53,000 2,000 16 37
Second-year intern 40,500 37,800 38,800 44,300 1,200 15 38
Entry-level intern 37,700 34,700 38,600 41,000 1,500 12 32
Student 27,600 23,500 25,000 34,800 1,400 7 9
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 51,000 50,400 51,000 52,000 1,300 8 28
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 80,100 73,900 75,800 92,600 3,100 8 64
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 48,100 40,000 45,000 51,300 1,400 13 46
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 68,900 55,000 68,500 77,800 2,600 19 69
Landscape architect
Urban planner 63,500 59,300 5,700 5 8
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 68,500 66,000 67,200 71,100 1,200 7 18
Specification writer 77,200 62,000 79,300 90,000 100 6 7
CAD manager 63,500 41,100 66,300 80,300 4,500 6 6
Architectural drafter 40,300 37,100 39,800 45,000 2,000 8 15
IT manager/director 82,800 74,000 83,300 90,400 3,400 10 10
Controller 80,800 55,800 79,600 105,600 5,300 10 10
Bookkeeper 47,800 40,500 40,500 53,000 3,400 9 13
Accounting clerk 39,900 37,000 43,500 45,000 900 7 7
Business Development manager 98,800 100,000 14,600 5 5
Marketing manager 71,600 54,500 76,700 83,400 1,700 13 14
Marketing assistant 40,200 34,000 38,700 46,300 1,400 15 27
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 54,900 44,500 56,500 62,800 3,300 13 13
Administrative assistant 37,700 33,300 38,500 43,600 800 18 39
Receptionist 33,300 30,300 32,500 35,800 700 16 16
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

114 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $113,100 $107,400 $111,900 $125,400 $3,000 10 34

Project manager 81,700 80,500 80,700 80,800 4,700 17 71
Senior architect/designer 75,800 66,400 72,000 86,100 4,500 16 82
Architect/designer III 66,300 61,900 67,800 68,300 2,500 16 110
Architect/designer II 54,100 47,900 58,000 59,000 1,300 14 93
Architect/designer I 46,100 42,700 47,200 50,000 1,100 15 82
Third-year intern 42,500 43,400 600 6 12
Second-year intern 40,300 37,800 37,800 41,500 1,100 7 17
Entry-level intern 38,600 38,600 1,600 6 25
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs) 50,800 50,400 50,700 52,600 1,100 7 24
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs) 77,700 73,900 75,800 88,900 3,100 7 58
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 47,700 40,000 44,200 51,300 1,400 8 33
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 71,600 67,200 69,300 80,900 2,500 12 56
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 68,500 67,200 1,100 6 17
Specification writer 77,200 79,300 100 6 7
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director 89,400 83,200 83,400 91,600 3,300 7 7
Controller 102,900 100,000 3,100 5 5
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk 39,300 41,400 800 6 6
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 73,000 68,500 76,700 81,800 1,900 8 8
Marketing assistant 41,500 36,000 40,800 46,300 1,400 12 23
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 56,700 44,000 58,000 64,000 3,200 11 11
Administrative assistant 38,600 33,100 40,500 42,800 600 10 24
Receptionist 33,600 30,000 33,000 36,000 600 11 11
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

115 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 WA S H I N G TO N , D C M E T R O A R E A (Northern Virginia Counties only)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $83,400 $77,000 $80,000 $90,000 $10,800 9 24

Project manager 80,200 70,500 75,700 94,600 5,800 10 24
Senior architect/designer 70,700 60,000 69,400 77,000 4,800 10 30
Architect/designer III 63,800 55,000 63,000 67,900 3,500 10 26
Architect/designer II 53,900 50,000 50,000 60,000 2,700 10 23
Architect/designer I 45,800 45,000 1,400 6 18
Third-year intern 47,800 40,000 50,000 53,800 1,800 7 17
Second-year intern 40,700 37,600 42,200 44,300 1,200 7 20
Entry-level intern 34,500 35,500 1,000 6 7
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 59,000 56,500 2,100 5 8
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 38,100 38,500 600 5 11
Receptionist
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

116 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 WA S H I N G TO N , D C M E T R O A R E A (excluding District of Columbia)

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $93,100 $77,000 $80,000 $105,000 $12,400 15 37

Project manager 76,600 70,000 72,700 84,200 7,200 14 34
Senior architect/designer 68,100 57,400 64,000 76,000 6,300 15 40
Architect/designer III 61,300 53,000 63,000 66,500 3,800 12 31
Architect/designer II 51,000 46,000 50,000 58,000 3,500 13 35
Architect/designer I 45,400 43,500 45,000 49,700 2,700 9 27
Third-year intern 46,700 40,000 48,000 53,800 2,700 10 25
Second-year intern 40,500 37,500 40,000 44,300 1,200 8 21
Entry-level intern 34,500 35,500 1,000 6 7
Student 27,400 25,000 1,500 5 7
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 49,100 45,000 1,500 5 13
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 57,400 54,000 55,000 65,500 2,900 7 13
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter 40,400 41,500 2,900 5 8
IT manager/director
Controller 58,800 56,000 7,500 5 5
Bookkeeper 50,900 47,500 4,700 6 6
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 69,700 67,400 1,500 5 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 36,200 33,300 35,000 45,500 1,200 8 15
Receptionist 32,500 32,000 1,000 5 5
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

117 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 WISCONSIN

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $84,400 $65,000 $85,700 $92,500 $7,400 10 27

Project manager 64,700 55,000 63,100 76,000 5,800 19 63
Senior architect/designer 70,000 64,900 68,500 85,100 2,800 15 81
Architect/designer III 50,300 45,800 50,900 55,000 4,100 13 51
Architect/designer II 41,700 41,000 41,000 44,400 1,400 10 28
Architect/designer I 41,300 36,000 39,000 48,000 2,100 12 19
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern 34,700 36,000 1,000 6 8
Student 25,200 25,000 300 5 5
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs) 34,900 34,500 700 6 20
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 52,500 44,400 55,000 60,000 2,400 12 26
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator 61,800 63,000 4,900 5 10
Specification writer 59,500 60,000 1,600 6 11
CAD manager 47,700 42,500 47,000 53,100 1,600 7 9
Architectural drafter 36,900 35,000 37,900 38,700 1,700 11 36
IT manager/director
Controller 59,400 58,500 2,900 6 6
Bookkeeper 33,600 36,500 2,800 6 6
Accounting clerk 31,300 30,400 1,400 5 6
Business Development manager
Marketing manager 60,200 60,300 6,200 5 6
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager 39,600 39,000 1,800 6 7
Administrative assistant 36,400 36,200 38,000 38,000 700 10 25
Receptionist 30,100 26,900 30,500 33,500 1,000 13 14
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

118 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 M I LWA U K E E M E T R O A R E A

BASE PAY
Mean
Lower Upper additional No. of offices No. of
Position Mean quartile Median quartile cash (establishments) positions

Department head/senior manager $88,900 $90,000 $8,500 6 20

Project manager 66,700 58,300 63,000 76,000 5,800 9 29
Senior architect/designer 75,500 68,000 85,100 85,100 2,100 7 38
Architect/designer III 50,600 44,500 50,900 58,500 2,800 7 23
Architect/designer II 41,800 43,000 2,100 6 13
Architect/designer I 42,500 42,500 1,800 6 11
Third-year intern
Second-year intern
Entry-level intern
Student
M/E/P engineer (up to 5 yrs)
M/E/P engineer (more than 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (up to 5 yrs)
C/S engineer (more than 5 yrs)
Interior designer (up to 5 yrs)
Interior designer (more than 5 yrs) 53,100 55,000 2,100 6 14
Landscape architect
Urban planner
Graphic designer
Construction administrator
Specification writer
CAD manager
Architectural drafter
IT manager/director
Controller
Bookkeeper
Accounting clerk
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Marketing assistant
Human Resources director
Human Resources manager
Office manager
Administrative assistant 36,400 37,000 600 6 12
Receptionist 31,800 33,000 1,300 6 6
Librarian

Note: Results not shown if fewer than 5 reporting establishments. Reporting criteria are in “Compensation Table Coverage,”
and position descriptions are in “Definitions of Positions.”

119 C O M P E N S AT I O N TA B L E S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

APPENDIX 1. SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Sample Composition
Invitations to complete the AIA 2005
Compensation Survey were extended
to 6,370 uniquely addressable archi-
tecture establishments (i.e., single
locations of what might be multiple-
location firms) developed from three
sources: the Large Firm Roundtable
Human Resources Group, AIA “firm
leaders,” and respondents to the
2002 Compensation Survey. In addi-
tion, open invitations to complete the
survey were published/broadcast by
the AIA and its component organi-
zations through a variety of means,
resulting in additional participation.
Data Collection
Survey instrument content was
developed collaboratively by the
AIA and MemberSurvey.com (a divi-
sion of Readex Research), working
from the instrument used in 2002
and incorporating suggestions solic-
ited from members of the Large Firm
Roundtable Human Resources Group
and other leaders in the profession.
Development of the survey Web
site, data collection, data process-
ing, and tabulation were handled by
MemberSurvey.com.
On January 28, 2005, Memb-
erSurvey.com broadcast initial
e-mail requests to the 5,795 sample
members for whom well-formed
e-mail addresses were available,
inviting them to participate in the sur-
vey by visiting the access-controlled
Web site hosted by MemberSurvey.
com. A total of 436 e-mail addresses
(8% of the total) bounced back as
undeliverable.
On February 4, MemberSurvey.
com mailed invitation postcards to
436 sample members for whom the
e-mail invitations bounced back,
plus the 575 sample members for
whom no e-mail addresses were
available. These cards extended
the same invitation as the initial
e-mail.
On February 9, reminder
e-mails were sent to the 4,874 e-mail-
able sample members who had not
yet responded. Second and third
reminder e-mails were broadcast to
nonrespondents on February 23 and
March 2, respectively.
The leaders of AIA’s various
component organizations (local and
regional chapters) also assisted in
prompting local members to par-
ticipate, as did the leadership of
the Large Firm Roundtable Human
Resources Group.
The survey was closed for pro-
cessing and tabulation on March
15, 2005. A total of 1,216 unique
firms responded, reporting on a
total of 1,431 establishments, for
a 22% response rate. Survey data
were edited and cleaned; in some
cases follow-up contacts were made
to ascertain validity of responses.
Finally, compensation data were
screened for outliers and trimmed
(top and bottom 1% of distribution)
to enhance reliability.

120 APPENDIX 1. SURVEY METHODOLOGY Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
 EXHIBIT A.1 Size Distribution of Responding Offices by Region

New Middle East North West North South East South West South Pacific Pacific Total
Firm Size England Atlantic Central Central Atlantic Central Central Northwest Southwest offices

Fewer than 10 48% 38% 28% 35% 39% 36% 48% 37% 37% 37%
10 to 19 21 22 35 24 27 31 27 32 32 29
20 to 49 19 24 22 21 25 27 17 21 20 22
50 to 99 8 7 8 13 3 6 3 5 7 6
100 to 249 4 7 6 5 6 0 3 3 4 5
250 or more 0 2 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 1
Total offices (establishments) 90 167 193 127 256 49 155 119 271 1,427

EXHIBIT A.2 Firm Type Distribution of Responding Offices by Office Size

Number of Employees

Firm Type Fewer than 10 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 or more Total offices

Architecture only 55% 38% 24% 8% 3% 8% 37%

Architecture with interior design 28 32 34 21 25 8 29
Architecture with other design disciplines 6 9 11 13 11 15 9
Archtecture with engineering 2 5 5 15 6 15 5
Engineering with architecture 0 0 2 4 8 8 1
Other multidisciplinary design firms 7 11 17 24 34 38 13
Offices 3 5 7 14 14 8 6
Total (establishments) 544 410 308 91 65 13 1,431

121 APPENDIX 1. SURVEY METHODOLOGY 121

Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E

American Institute of Architects 2. Including yours, how many different office/locations does your firm operate?
c 1
2005 Compensation Survey
c 2
c 3
Introduction
c 4

Thank you for participating in the AIA 2005 Compensation Survey. The information you provide will be c 5-9
handled in strict confidence; all data will be aggregated so that no individual firm can be identified. c 10 - 14
c 15 - 19
The survey consists of several general sections plus pages for reporting compensation data for one or more locations c 20 or more
of your firm.

To preserve participant confidentiality, this survey is being administered by Readex Research of Stillwater, MN. If you 3. Including all locations, approximately what is the total number of full-time and part-time employees on your
have any questions, please contact aiahelp@readexresearch.com or 651.439.1554. firm’s payroll?

Please submit your response within two weeks so your firm’s data can be included in the report. Thank you for your c fewer than 10
help! c 10 - 24
c 25 - 49
c 50 - 99
c 100 - 249
Your Contact Information c 250 - 499
c 500 - 999
Please fill in your contact information so we can follow up if clarification is required, and inform you when survey c 1,000 or more
results are available.

Firm name: 4. In the box below, please type in the city/town in which the office at which you spend the most time is located.
Your name: ________________________________________
Area code + phone:
Email: 5. Is your location responsible for maintaining employee compensation records for any other office locations?
Street address: c yes
City/state/zip: c no
AIA member #:
(if a member) a. If yes, please list the other locations for which this office maintains compensation records. We will be requesting
that information later in the survey.
(please type in a brief name for each, one location name per box)

Firm Information ____________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________
1. Which designation(s) best describe your firm?
(please select all that apply)
____________________________ ___________________________
… architecture only
… architecture with engineering ____________________________ ___________________________
… architecture with interior design
… architecture with other design disciplines
… engineering with architecture
… other: ____________________________________________________________________

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 1 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 2 survey.pdf

122 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

COMPLETE ONE COPY OF PAGES 3-12 FOR EACH LOCATION YOU ARE ANSWERING FOR. Data For: ___________________ - architects/interns

Data For: ___________________ - employment Licensed Architects and Nonregistered Graduates (excluding partners/principals)
Please answer all items in this section for the location of your firm you filled in above. Report compensation and 8. Listed below are descriptions of six positions held by licensed architects and nonregistered graduates of
benefits ONLY for employees at this location. accredited architecture programs. The descriptions are necessarily broad; please use your best judgment in
determining the appropriate positions for your staff architects.
6a. What is the zip code at this location? ____________
For each position, please indicate:
6b. What is the city and state of this location? _______________________________________
x The number of employees at this location working full-time in that position as of 1/1/2005.
x The average annual full-time base pay received per person as of 1/1/2005.
7. Including you, how many full- and part-time employees did this location of your firm have on its payroll in each x The average additional cash compensation (beyond base pay) received per person in 2004 (if any). Please
of these categories as of 1/1/2005? include overtime pay (discretionary and/or mandated by law), bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other cash
(please type in a number for each; if none, type in 0) compensation. Please exclude the value of employee benefits from these calculations; that information is
requested later.
architecture employees:
Note that some of your staff at this location may not be covered by any of the positions as described below.
#______ principals/partners and other major owners of the firm
Please do not include compensation information for those employees in the spaces below.
+ #______ licensed architects other than principals/partners
Please fill in a number for each; if none, fill in 0.
+ #______ nonregistered graduate architecture staff other than principals/partners or interns/students
+ #______ architecture interns/students
# of average average
other employees: full-time annual additional
employees base pay rate cash compensation
+ #______ other professional design staff (e.g., engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, as of 1/1/2005 as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position
planners)
#______ $____________ $____________ Department Head/Senior Manager: Senior
+ #______ other full-time employees
management architect or nonregistered graduate;
+ #______ other part-time employees responsible for major department(s) or functions;
= #______ TOTAL full-time and part-time employees at this location reports to a principal or partner.

#______ $____________ $____________ Project Manager: Licensed architect or nonregistered

If you reported fewer than 3 architecture employees at this location, the remaining questions will not apply for
graduate with more than 10 years of experience; has
this location.
overall project management responsibility for a variety of
projects or project teams, including client contact,
scheduling, and budgeting.

#______ $____________ $____________ Senior Architect/Designer: Licensed architect or

nonregistered graduate with more than 10 years of
experience, has a design or technical focus and is
responsible for significant project activities.

#______ $____________ $____________ Architect/Designer III: Licensed architect or

nonregistered graduate with 8-10 years’ experience,
responsible for significant aspects of projects.

#______ $____________ $____________ Architect/Designer II: Licensed architect or

nonregistered graduate with 6-8 years of experience;
responsible for daily design or technical development of
project.

#______ $____________ $____________ Architect/Designer I: Recently licensed architect or

nonregistered graduate with 3-5 years of experience;
responsible for particular parts of a project within
parameters set by others.

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 3 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 4 survey.pdf

123 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

Interns and Students Professional Pay Practices

9. Listed below are descriptions of three levels of architecture interns. For each, please indicate: 10. Does this location of your firm typically offer higher starting salaries for architecture employees with a
professional master’s degree (as compared to a bachelor’s degree) in architecture?
x The number of employees at this location working full-time in that position as of 1/1/2005.
c yes, generally offer up to 5% more
x The average annual full-time base pay received per person as of 1/1/2005.
c yes, generally offer 5% to 10% more
x The average additional cash compensation (beyond base pay) received per person in 2004 (if any). Please
c yes, generally offer more than 10% more
include overtime pay (discretionary and/or mandated by law), bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other cash
compensation. Please exclude the value of employee benefits. c no

Please fill in a number for each; if none, fill in 0.

11. What incentives (if any) does this location of your firm generally offer to encourage nonregistered graduate
# of average average architecture employees to become registered?
full-time annual additional (please select all that apply)
employees base pay rate cash compensation … reimbursement for registration fee for exam
as of 1/1/2005 as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position
… reimbursement for preparatory classes
#______ $____________ $____________ Third-Year Intern: Unlicensed architecture school … paid leave for taking exam
graduate in third year of internship; develops design or … other: ______________________________________
technical solutions under supervision of an architect. … none

#______ $____________ $____________ Second-Year Intern: Intern in second year of

internship.
12. Does this location of your firm typically offer a salary increase to architecture staff when an unlicensed employee
#______ $____________ $____________ Entry-Level Intern: Intern in first year of internship. becomes registered?
c yes
#______ $____________ $____________ Student: Currently enrolled in an academic architecture
c no
program.

a. If yes, how much of a salary increase is typically offered?

c less than 5%
c 5% - 9%
c 10% or more

13. Did this location of your firm offer sign-on bonuses for any architecture positions in 2004?
c yes
c no

a. If yes, how often were sign-on bonuses offered?

c always
c sometimes
c rarely

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 5 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 6 survey.pdf

124 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

Data For: ___________________ - other professionals Technical Staff
# of average average
Other Professional, Technical and Nontechnical/Administrative Staff full-time annual additional
employees base pay rate cash compensation
as of 1/1/2005 as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position
14. Listed below are descriptions of several professional, technical, and nontechnical/administrative staff
positions. For each position, please indicate: #______ $____________ $____________ Construction Administrator — Works with contractors
x The number of employees at this location working full-time in that position as of 1/1/2005. ensuring that the design intent is followed.

x The average annual full-time base pay received per person as of 1/1/2005. #______ $____________ $____________ Specification Writer — Creates specifications, compiles and
x The average additional cash compensation (beyond base pay) received per person in 2004 (if any). Please coordinates specification documents.
include overtime pay (discretionary and/or mandated by law), bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other cash
#______ $____________ $____________ CAD Manager — Responsible for implementation, standards,
compensation. Please exclude the value of employee benefits.
upgrades, and training of CAD technology.
Note that some of your staff at this location may not be covered by any of the positions as described below.
Please do not include compensation information for those employees in the spaces below. #______ $____________ $____________ Architectural Drafter — Responsible for drafting, picking up
redlines, and limited design drafting.
For staff performing multiple responsibilities, please include their compensation under the position where they
have principal responsibility. If it is not possible to categorize them under any single position, please do not #______ $____________ $____________ IT Manager/Director
include compensation information for those employees in the spaces below.
Please fill in a number for each; if none, fill in 0.

Engineers and Other Design Professionals

# of average average
full-time annual additional
employees base pay rate cash compensation
as of 1/1/2005 as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position

#______ $____________ $____________ Engineer (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) —

up to 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Engineer (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) —

more than 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Engineer (civil/structural) —

up to 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Engineer (civil/structural) —

more than 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Interior Designer —

up to 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Interior Designer —

more than 5 years of experience

#______ $____________ $____________ Landscape Architect

#______ $____________ $____________ Urban Planner

#______ $____________ $____________ Graphic Designer — Responsible for print, multimedia, web,
and/or environmental graphic design.

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 7 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 8 survey.pdf

125 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

 Nontechnical and Administrative Staff Data For: ___________________ - partners
# of average average
full-time annual additional Principal/Partner Compensation
employees base pay rate cash compensation
as of 1/1/2005 as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position
15. What was the average total cash compensation received in 2004 by principals/partners/other major owners
#______ $____________ $____________ Controller — Analyzes financial status of organization and at this location? Please include annual full-time base pay (if any) plus bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other
directs preparation of operating budgets. incentive compensation. Please exclude the value of employee benefits.

#______ $____________ $____________ Bookkeeper — Maintains and records business transactions;

balances ledgers and prepares payroll/accounting reports. # of
partners/
#______ $____________ $____________ Accounting Clerk — payroll, accounts payable/receivable, etc. principals/ average
other major TOTAL cash
#______ $____________ $____________ Business Development Manager — Responsible for owners compensation
developing new business leads by seeking out and establishing as of 1/1/2005 received in 2004 position
opportunities with potential clients.
#______ $__________ Senior Principal/Partner: Typically an owner or majority shareholder of the
#______ $____________ $____________ Marketing Manager — Manages production of marketing firm; may be the founder; titles may include President, CEO, or Managing
support materials, proposals, and staff. Principal/Partner

#______ $____________ $____________ Marketing Assistant — Provides proposal production support #______ $__________ Mid-Level Principal/Partner: Principal or partner; titles may include Executive
and administrative support to aid marketing/business or Senior Vice President
development.
#______ $__________ Junior Principal/Partner: Recently made a partner or principal of the firm; title
#______ $____________ $____________ Human Resources Director — responsible for HR in a may include Vice President or Associate Principal
multioffice firm

#______ $____________ $____________ Human Resources Manager — responsible for HR in a single

office 16. Approximately what percentage of 2004 average total cash compensation paid to this location’s
principals/partners (all levels) was received as base salary (as opposed to bonuses, profit sharing, and/or other
#______ $____________ $____________ Office Manager — Responsible for administrative support incentive compensation)?
services, facilities, office equipment, vendors, etc.
______%
#______ $____________ $____________ Administrative Assistant — Responsible for secretarial duties
for a department, studio, or individual.

#______ $____________ $____________ Receptionist — Greets clients; answers phone/switchboard;

may have secretarial/administrative duties.

#______ $____________ $____________ Librarian — Responsible for cataloging and research of books,
samples, and products.

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 9 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 10 survey.pdf

126 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

Data For: ___________________ - benefits 19. For each employee group listed, approximately what is the value of all fringe benefits offered in 2004 to full-time
employees at this location?

17. On average, how many paid days off (holidays, vacation, sick leave, and other paid days off) does this location Please compute as a percentage of annual base pay. Include all fringe benefits covered in questions 17 and 18
of your firm provide its qualifying full-time employees per year? above. Include all items that are automatic and defined; exclude items that depend on financial performance,
(please fill in approximate average for each — if none, fill in 0) such as profit sharing and discretionary year-end bonuses.

#______ paid holidays estimated

value of
+ #______ paid vacation days benefits as
% of base pay
+ #______ paid sick leave days
______% professional staff (architectural, engineers, and other design professionals)
+ #______ other paid time off (jury, bereavement, PTO, etc.)
______% technical, nontechnical, and administrative staff
= #______ TOTAL paid days off per year
______% part time and hourly staff

______% other: ____________________________________________________________

18a. What benefits (if any) are currently offered to full-time employees at this location?
(please select one response for each)

firm offers, firm offers, firm offers, firm

firm pays firm pays firm pays
in full in part nothing
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
c c
does not THANK YOU!
offer
c c medical coverage for employee
c c © 2005
medical coverage for dependents (in addition to employee)
c c dental coverage
2251 Tower Drive West
c c flexible spending accounts Stillwater, MN 55082
tel 651.439.1554
c c vision care
c c life insurance
c c long-term disability insurance
c c short-term disability insurance
c c paid family leave
c c paid temporary disability / maternity leave
c c long-term care
c c defined benefit (pension) plan
c c defined contribution (retirement savings or profit-sharing)
plan (e.g., 401(k), 403(b), etc.)
c c transportation subsidy
c c other: __________________________________

18b. For each of these benefits offered by your firm, approximately what share of the total cost did the firm
contribute in 2004?
(please fill in a % for each — if none, fill in 0%)

_____% medical coverage for employee

_____% medical coverage for dependents

_____% dental coverage

AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 11 survey.pdf AIA 2005 Compensation Survey 12 survey.pdf

127 A P P E N D I X 2 . 2 0 0 5 C O M P E N S AT I O N S U R V E Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

I N D E X O F TA B L E S A N D C H A R T S
National Table
All Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Firm Size Tables
Fewer than 10 Employees . . . . . . . 20
10 to 19 Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
20 to 49 Employees. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
50 to 99 Employees. . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
100 to 249 Employees. . . . . . . . . . . 24
250 or More Employees . . . . . . . . . 25
Regional Tables
East North Central. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
East South Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Middle Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Pacific Northwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Pacific Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
South Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
West North Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
West South Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
State Tables
Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Massachusetts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
North Carolina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Oregon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
128 I N D E X O F TA B L E S A N D C H A R T S
City and Metro Area Tables
Atlanta Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Austin Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Baltimore Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Boston Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Boston Metro Area (excluding
Cities of Boston and
Cambridge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Charlotte Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chicago Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chicago Metro Area (excluding
City of Chicago). . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Cincinnati Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . 88
City of Atlanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
City of Baltimore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
City of Boston
(including Cambridge) . . . . . . . 70
City of Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
City of Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
City of Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
City of Los Angeles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
City of Minneapolis. . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
City of New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
City of Philadelphia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
City of Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
City of San Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
City of San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . 46
City of Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
City of St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Columbus Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . 89
Dallas Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Denver Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
District of Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Houston Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Kansas City Metro Area . . . . . . . . . 77
Los Angeles Metro Area . . . . . . . . . 38
Los Angeles Metro Area (excluding
City of Los Angeles) . . . . . . . . . 40
Milwaukee Metro Area . . . . . . . . . 119
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
New York City Metro Area . . . . . . . . 82
Orange County Metro Area . . . . . . 41
Philadelphia Metro Area. . . . . . . . . 94
Philadelphia Metro Area
(excluding City of
Philadelphia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Phoenix Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Pittsburgh Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . 97
Portland Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill
Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Richmond Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . 110
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects
Sacramento Metro Area . . . . . . . . . 42
Salt Lake City Metro Area . . . . . . . 108
San Antonio Metro Area . . . . . . . . 106
San Diego Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . 43
San Francisco Metro Area . . . . . . . 45
San Jose Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Seattle Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
St. Louis Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Tampa/St. Petersburg/
Clearwater Metro Area . . . . . . . 52
Washington, DC Metro Area. . . . . 114
Washington, DC Metro Area
(excluding District of
Columbia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Washington, DC Metro Area
(Northern Virginia
counties only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Other Tables and Charts
Architect Compensation Growing
Faster than Professional
Salaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Base Salary Smaller Share
of Compensation for
Principals and Partners
at Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Benefits as Share of Salary Higher
at Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Compensation Generally
Higher at Larger Firms . . . . . . . . 7
Compensation Range for
Principals and Partners
Greater at Larger Firms . . . . . . 12
Compensation Rising Fastest
for Technical Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Employee Medical Coverage
Continues to Be the Most
Widespread Benefit Offered. . . 13
Firm Type Distribution of
Responding Offices by
Office Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Higher Share of
Compensation Not Guaranteed
for Employees at
Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Intern Compensation Higher
in New England, South
Atlantic Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Larger Firms Compensate
Managers Above
All-Firm Averages . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Managers Pace
Compensation Gains . . . . . . . . .5
More Firms Offer Standard
Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
More than Four in Ten Firms
Paid Premium for Master’s
Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
More than Half of the Firms Pay
All of the Cost of Employee
Medical Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Most Firms Did Not Offer
Sign-on Bonuses. . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Most Firms Pay Only Part
of the Cost of Dependent
Medical Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Nearly 80% of Firms Pay at Least
75% of the Premium Cost
for Employee Medical
Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Paid Leave for Taking the Exam
Is the Most Widespread
Incentive Offered for
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Principal/Partner Compensation
15% to 50% Higher at
Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Size Distribution of Responding
Offices by Region . . . . . . . . . . 121
Total Number of Paid Days Off
Is Higher for the
Larger Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Two-thirds of Firms Offer Salary
Increase upon Registration . . . 11
Value of Benefits as a Percentage
of Total Base Pay Is Equal
for Professional and
Technical Positions . . . . . . . . . . 15

129 I N D E X O F TA B L E S A N D C H A R T S Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects

2005 AIA Compensation Report
A Survey of U.S. Architecture Firms

A comprehensive look at compensation levels and

benefits for 36 positions at architecture firms nationwide

This detailed report—one of the most comprehensive sources of compensation information

in the architecture profession—provides a complete picture of the compensation levels and
benefits for 36 positions at architecture firms.

HIGHLIGHTS

■ Up-to-date information on medical, dental, and vision care insurance; life insurance,
retirement savings and profit-sharing plans; vacation leave, and much more

■ Compensation information for nine regions of the country, plus most states and the top
metropolitan areas

■ Summary of trends in compensation issues

■ Data presented by firm size categories, ranging from fewer than 10 employees to more
than 250 employees

■ Available in two formats: softcover book (full report only) and electronic.pdf

The American Institute of Architects

1735 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006-5292
www.aia.org