Architects design a wide variety of buildings, including houses, office buildings, churches and airport terminals. They create both the desired appearance and a functional and safe structure, and they must do so within the client's budget.

Time Frame

Architect interns typically need three to five years to pass all categories of the Architecture Registration Exam after graduation and prior to becoming licensed.

Intern Salaries

The 2007 salary survey conducted by Architect Magazine showed a starting salary for interns between $34,000 and $40,000. A fifth-year intern's salary was between $48,000 and $59,000.

Early Experience

The survey indicated that architects with five years' experience, including their internship years, could expect an average starting salary between $52,000 and $65,000 in 2007.

Average Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed the average architect's salary in 2008 was about $37 an hour, or nearly $77,000 annually.

General Range

According to the BLS, the lowest-paid 10 percent of architects earned less than $42,000 in 2008, which may reflect intern and starting salaries. The top 10 percent had salaries higher than $119,000. The middle 50 percent had salaries between $53,000 and $92,000.

2019 Salary Information for Architects

Architects earned a median annual salary of $80,750 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, architects earned a 10th percentile salary of $137,620, meaning 90 percent earned more than this amount. The 90th percentile salary is $48,700, meaning 10 percent earn more. In 2019, 129,900 people were employed in the U.S. as architects.