Architectural and Engineering Managers salary
SOC 11-9041 · BLS OEWS May 2025
What the range looks like
A single median hides most of what a job pays. The bar below is the full national range: the wash spans the 10th to 90th percentile, the solid bar is the middle half, and the tick is the median.
- 10th
- $120,810
- 25th
- $139,360
- Median
- $171,270
- 75th
- $212,500
- 90th
- $262,760
Getting in
- Typical education to enter
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
Entry requirements describe what is typical, not mandatory. Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34.
Where architectural and engineering managers earn the most
Nominal pay and pay adjusted for local prices rank states differently — a high-wage state with high costs can be worse off in real terms than a middling one. Switch between the two below.
The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.
| # | State | Median | Cost of living | Employed | Concentrationvs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $215,120 | 92.2 | 2,270 | 1.84× |
| 2 | California | $210,280 | 110.7 | 29,630 | 1.15× |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $201,430 | 105.8 | 7,690 | 1.49× |
| 4 | Washington | $189,680 | 107.0 | 6,060 | 1.21× |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $185,220 | 109.9 | 1,290 | 1.30× |
| 6 | Colorado | $183,810 | 103.1 | 4,900 | 1.20× |
| 7 | Delaware | $181,190 | 99.8 | 560 | 0.81× |
| 8 | New Jersey | $180,640 | 108.8 | 4,540 | 0.75× |
| 9 | Oregon | $177,190 | 103.4 | — | — |
| 10 | Virginia | $176,160 | 101.1 | 4,390 | 0.75× |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $175,910 | 102.3 | 370 | 0.53× |
| 12 | New York | $175,710 | 107.9 | 8,250 | 0.60× |
| 13 | Connecticut | $175,490 | 103.6 | 4,970 | 2.07× |
| 14 | Maryland | $172,670 | 105.0 | 5,240 | 1.34× |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $172,240 | 104.2 | 2,160 | 2.24× |
| 16 | Minnesota | $172,130 | 98.6 | 4,580 | 1.10× |
| 17 | Texas | $171,370 | 97.1 | 19,030 | 0.95× |
| 18 | Florida | $170,740 | 103.4 | 8,710 | 0.62× |
| 19 | South Carolina | $169,040 | 93.7 | 3,200 | 0.98× |
| 20 | North Carolina | $167,840 | 94.3 | 6,960 | 0.99× |
| 21 | Arizona | $167,480 | 100.7 | 4,680 | 1.02× |
| 22 | Michigan | $166,930 | 96.2 | 14,820 | 2.38× |
| 23 | Ohio | $166,870 | 92.8 | 9,690 | 1.23× |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $164,690 | 97.6 | 9,640 | 1.12× |
| 25 | South Dakota | $164,330 | 88.6 | 310 | 0.48× |
| 26 | Alaska | $164,260 | 102.4 | 900 | 1.95× |
| 27 | Illinois | $163,610 | 100.0 | 8,900 | 1.03× |
| 28 | Wyoming | $163,560 | 92.7 | — | — |
| 29 | Idaho | $162,970 | 95.5 | 850 | 0.70× |
| 30 | Louisiana | $162,850 | 88.2 | 1,840 | 0.67× |
| 31 | Alabama | $162,350 | 88.8 | 3,790 | 1.27× |
| 32 | Nevada | $161,560 | 100.0 | 780 | 0.36× |
| 33 | Georgia | $161,470 | 96.3 | 3,590 | 0.52× |
| 34 | Tennessee | $161,430 | 91.9 | 3,600 | 0.77× |
| 35 | Utah | $161,120 | 98.9 | 2,290 | 0.93× |
| 36 | Kansas | $160,150 | 90.1 | 2,010 | 0.99× |
| 37 | Missouri | $157,800 | 90.8 | 2,250 | 0.54× |
| 38 | Vermont | $157,710 | 98.0 | 350 | 0.81× |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $157,330 | 87.8 | 2,070 | 0.85× |
| 40 | Indiana | $155,810 | 93.3 | 4,610 | 1.02× |
| 41 | Hawaii | $151,670 | 110.0 | 1,220 | 1.37× |
| 42 | West Virginia | $149,430 | 89.5 | 420 | 0.42× |
| 43 | Kentucky | $147,680 | 90.2 | 1,800 | 0.63× |
| 44 | North Dakota | $147,400 | 89.0 | 270 | 0.44× |
| 45 | Iowa | $147,320 | 87.8 | 1,520 | 0.69× |
| 46 | Montana | $146,030 | 94.6 | 560 | 0.78× |
| 47 | Maine | $145,720 | 97.0 | 820 | 0.90× |
| 48 | Mississippi | $142,790 | 87.0 | 860 | 0.52× |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $142,060 | 94.1 | 4,550 | 1.09× |
| 50 | Nebraska | $141,020 | 90.1 | 1,510 | 1.04× |
| 51 | Arkansas | $140,600 | 86.9 | 1,220 | 0.66× |
Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. States where architectural and engineering managers wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.
Best paying metro areas for architectural and engineering managers
The 40 highest-paying metros with a published estimate. BLS suppresses roughly half of all occupation-by-metro cells, so a metro absent here has no local figure rather than a low one.
The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median | Cost of living | Employed | Concentrationvs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $234,590 | 110.4 | 5,130 | 3.19× |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $221,580 | 115.6 | 5,000 | 1.49× |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | $215,120 | 95.5 | 1,160 | 2.03× |
| 4 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $213,070 | 108.6 | 180 | 1.04× |
| 5 | Peoria, IL | $212,820 | 91.2 | 540 | 2.28× |
| 6 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $212,050 | 105.7 | 970 | 3.44× |
| 7 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $207,900 | 108.8 | 340 | 1.21× |
| 8 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $207,140 | 107.8 | 190 | 0.65× |
| 9 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $206,880 | 109.9 | 80 | 0.54× |
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $205,130 | 108.3 | 6,690 | 1.75× |
| 11 | Naples-Marco Island, FL | $204,420 | 103.2 | 90 | 0.38× |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $204,340 | 111.1 | 4,390 | 1.49× |
| 13 | Boulder, CO | $203,420 | 105.2 | 680 | 2.49× |
| 14 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $202,810 | 111.9 | 3,270 | 1.50× |
| 15 | Rochester, MN | $201,420 | 90.8 | 90 | 0.54× |
| 16 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $199,380 | 100.1 | 330 | 1.78× |
| 17 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $199,040 | 106.9 | 970 | 1.69× |
| 18 | Pittsfield, MA | $197,570 | 95.1 | 100 | 1.20× |
| 19 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $196,870 | 103.2 | 320 | 0.94× |
| 20 | Rapid City, SD | $196,800 | 89.2 | 80 | 0.75× |
| 21 | Santa Fe, NM | $195,350 | 98.8 | 30 | 0.35× |
| 22 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $193,970 | 106.7 | 1,570 | 1.03× |
| 23 | Bellingham, WA | $193,360 | 103.3 | 80 | 0.64× |
| 24 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $191,440 | 105.8 | 2,860 | 1.25× |
| 25 | Lake Charles, LA | $191,250 | 85.9 | 150 | 1.07× |
| 26 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $190,900 | 113.6 | 9,570 | 1.08× |
| 27 | Vallejo, CA | $189,360 | 108.5 | 110 | 0.56× |
| 28 | Salinas, CA | $187,730 | 109.0 | 70 | 0.25× |
| 29 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $185,220 | 108.9 | 5,500 | 1.24× |
| 30 | Redding, CA | $184,720 | 100.7 | 50 | 0.46× |
| 31 | Yuba City, CA | $184,720 | 104.2 | 30 | 0.44× |
| 32 | Lexington Park, MD | $184,620 | 100.8 | 170 | 1.71× |
| 33 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $183,890 | 112.6 | 7,580 | 0.56× |
| 34 | Decatur, IL | $183,860 | 88.4 | 50 | 0.74× |
| 35 | Colorado Springs, CO | $183,400 | 100.7 | 560 | 1.24× |
| 36 | Barnstable Town, MA | $182,350 | 98.4 | 50 | 0.41× |
| 37 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $181,690 | 100.4 | 360 | 2.00× |
| 38 | Corvallis, OR | $181,080 | 104.0 | 120 | 2.25× |
| 39 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $181,000 | 99.6 | 700 | 1.09× |
| 40 | Columbus, IN | $180,830 | 93.0 | 310 | 4.44× |
Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. Metro areas where architectural and engineering managers wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.
Similar occupations
Other jobs in the same field, with what each pays nationally.
- Managers, All Other$141,900
- Medical and Health Services Managers$123,860
- Construction Managers$114,990
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary$105,870
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers$69,990
- Food Service Managers$69,390
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary$104,590