Hiring an architect in Corpus Christi, TX

Do Corpus Christi residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Corpus Christi, TX area pay?

Corpus Christi residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $76,195 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,580 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Corpus Christi, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 20%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Corpus Christi, TX area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from surveying and mapping technicians at $47,250 to petroleum engineers at $155,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with architects, except landscape and naval at $82,540 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 19 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Corpus Christi residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Corpus Christi?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 17-1011.

That matters here, because 24.3% of Corpus Christi adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a thin local pool for a degree-requiring role, so expect to recruit across the metro rather than inside the city. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Corpus Christi aged 25 and over.

The average Corpus Christi commute runs 20.8 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 4.8% of Corpus Christi workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Corpus Christi.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Nueces County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 2,789 and turns over 7.9% a quarter, with 339 hires against 420 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,442 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about architects, except landscape and naval. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $82,540 median in the Corpus Christi, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $16,508 to $24,762 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring an architect in Corpus Christi

What does it cost to hire an architect in Corpus Christi?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $82,540 median wage in the Corpus Christi, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $16,508 to $24,762 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an architect in Corpus Christi look like?

Employers in the Corpus Christi, TX area pay architects, except landscape and naval a median of $82,540, with the middle half of the market between $63,830 and $115,060 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $63,830 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Corpus Christi residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Corpus Christi, TX area pay?

Corpus Christi residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $76,195 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,580 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Corpus Christi, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 20%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Corpus Christi?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 24.3% of Corpus Christi adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a thin local pool, so expect the search to run across the metro rather than inside the city.

Related

• Hiring Architects, Except Landscape and Naval: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Corpus Christi
• Every Texas city we cover

Corpus Christi is the 8th largest of 17 Texas cities in this dataset.