Salary-wise, it's a steady climb from intern to licensed architect, then a leap of about $30,000 up to management level. The median base salary of all our 1,392 respondents is $88,000.
The bar chart couldn't be clearer: Work at a bigger firm and you'll likely take home a bigger paycheck. Interestingly, though, the most significant jump in pay is from sole proprietor to small (2-19 perosn) firm. There's strength even in low numbers it seems.
Whether you're an intern or an architect or work at a small, midsized, or large firm may not affect your salary much. But at the principal level and above, large-firm employees can earn 17 percent more than their small-firm counterparts.
File under News You Already Know: Male respondents earn a higher median salary than female respondents. Men are also more likely to be licensed and/or in management positions, raising the question--which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Young people, male and female, should see a glimmer of hope here: Salaries take a big jump between 25-34 and 35-44, right in time for you to have kids and spend all your money on them.
Unlicensed designers, steer clear of the South Atlantic region ...
No surprises here: The longer you work the more they pay you.
The vast majority of you get some type of bonus, and employees of large firms may be offered a menu of them. At all types of fims, though, bonuse for passing the LEED exam or the ARE, or for the completion of five years' service, are relatively rare.
Bonuses by Types (cont.)
Maybe you didn't get that corner office. But stay in your current job and you'll earn more over time, especially if you're a project manager.
Happily, most respondents do have health insurance. When it comes to additional benefits--dental insurance, flexible spending, and disability, for example--small-firm employees fare worse than their large-firm peers do.
Benefits (cont.)
The smaller the firm, the happier the architect. Despite earning higher salaries across job titles, large-firm employees report lower satisfaction with their pay than respondents who work in both midsized (20-99 person) and small (2-19 person) firms. On all other measures, sole practictioners report the highest job satisfaction.
Hmm. Taking pride in one's employer, believing that it cares about its people and that it rewards them based on merit--these feelings seem to decrease as the size of the firm grows. On the other hand, large-firm respondents are more likely to describe their firms as competitive and industry leaders.
Note: Marketing, IT, and other support staff responding in statistically insignificant numbers.
Note: Some respondents did not indicate their gender.
