Hiring an architect in McKinney, TX

Do McKinney residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area pay?

McKinney residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $125,228 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,380 as the median of the 32 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 31%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area the group covers 32 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from surveying and mapping technicians at $45,460 to petroleum engineers at $168,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with architects, except landscape and naval at $93,840 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 32 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.

Residents here out-earn the midpoint of what the metro pays across this group, which usually points to people commuting out to better-paying employers. Expect a McKinney offer in this field to compete with a drive, not only with the firm down the road.

Is the talent actually in McKinney?

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 52.6% of McKinney adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of McKinney aged 25 and over.

The average McKinney commute runs 27.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 21.8% of McKinney 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 McKinney.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Collin County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 7,259 and turns over 6.6% a quarter, with 953 hires against 636 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,612 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 low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

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 $93,840 median in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $18,768 to $28,152 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 McKinney

What does it cost to hire an architect in McKinney?

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 $93,840 median wage in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $18,768 to $28,152 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an architect in McKinney look like?

Employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area pay architects, except landscape and naval a median of $93,840, with the middle half of the market between $78,770 and $125,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $78,770 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do McKinney residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area pay?

McKinney residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $125,228 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,380 as the median of the 32 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 31%. 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 McKinney?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 52.6% of McKinney adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Related

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

McKinney is the 15th largest of 17 Texas cities in this dataset.