wagelevels

SOC 17-1011 · Architecture and engineering

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval prevailing wage by area

At Level II this ranges from $114,982 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA down to $75,171 in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, a spread of $39,811 on the same job.

What this occupation covers

Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.

Occupation definition from oes_soc_occs.csv, OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip.

Every area with a surveyed figure

AreaLevel ILevel IILevel IIILevel IV
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$88,067$114,982$141,898$168,813
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$78,998$105,019$131,040$157,061
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$82,555$103,542$124,550$145,538
Trenton-Princeton, NJ$77,272$102,024$126,755$151,507
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$77,709$100,568$123,406$146,266
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD$75,442$97,968$120,494$143,021
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$77,646$97,510$117,354$137,218
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$77,168$96,221$115,294$134,347
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$74,485$95,098$115,731$136,344
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$76,565$94,453$112,362$130,250
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$77,834$92,997$108,160$123,323
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$71,968$92,872$113,797$134,701
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$71,136$91,811$112,486$133,162
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$76,232$90,542$104,853$119,163
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$71,760$88,774$105,810$122,824
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$75,400$88,400$101,379$114,379
Rochester, NY$71,531$88,400$105,248$122,117
Raleigh-Cary, NC$72,218$88,234$104,250$120,266
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$69,971$87,443$104,894$122,366
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN$57,866$87,027$116,168$145,330
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN$70,200$86,611$103,043$119,454
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$71,261$86,570$101,858$117,166
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$69,243$86,382$103,542$120,682
Columbus, OH$65,416$85,467$105,498$125,549
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT$63,003$85,301$107,619$129,917
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$68,994$84,864$100,755$116,626
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$67,309$84,282$101,275$118,248
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$63,981$83,907$103,813$123,739
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$65,042$83,491$101,920$120,370
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$67,226$83,429$99,611$115,814
Richmond, VA$65,562$82,306$99,029$115,773
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL$65,458$81,952$98,446$114,941
Memphis, TN-MS-AR$64,542$80,808$97,053$113,318
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$63,648$80,579$97,510$114,442
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$63,357$80,579$97,802$115,024
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX$62,566$78,083$93,621$109,138
Pittsburgh, PA$62,941$77,750$92,581$107,390
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$61,173$77,126$93,101$109,054
Cleveland, OH$57,658$75,234$92,789$110,365
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$63,773$75,171$86,549$97,947

40 areas, all surveyed for that metropolitan area rather than imputed from a broader geography. 3 of them carry a full breakdown page, selected by filing volume; the rest show their figures here. ALC_Export.csv, wage year 2026-27.

How employers filed for this occupation

Across 231 certified H-1B filings in FY2025 Q1 to Q4 that recorded a level, the plurality landed on Level I. The median wage actually offered was $83,200 a year, from 255 filings.

LevelFilingsShare
Level I12554.1%
Level II8034.6%
Level III229.5%
Level IV41.7%

LCA disclosure data, FY2025 Q1 to Q4. Certified H-1B filings only.

Work out a specific determination

The level depends on the requirements in the job description rather than the title. Run the worksheet for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval with a specific area, experience requirement and education level.