Hiring an architect in Washington, DC

Employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area pay architects, except landscape and naval a median of $102,080, with the middle half of the market between $81,550 and $130,670. Washington residents working in architecture and engineering occupations report a median of $111,961, which is 10% above what the metro pays for this role.

What does an architect earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$81,550
Median	$102,080
75th percentile	$130,670

Half of architects, except landscape and naval in this area earn between $81,550 and $130,670. A band set below $81,550 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Washington residents earn

$111,961

Median earnings of Washington residents working in architecture and engineering occupations, 6,195 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 10% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.
Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.
Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, or construction time.
Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 17-1011.

Tools and technologies in demand

Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, McNeel Rhinoceros 3D, Microsoft Excel.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Washington?

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).

That matters here, because 63.6% of Washington 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.

The average Washington commute runs 30.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 29.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In District of Columbia, architectural, engineering and related services employs 7,962 and turns over 6.7% a quarter, with 817 hires against 678 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $10,935 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 median would bill roughly $20,416 to $30,624 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.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring an architect somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other architecture and engineering roles in Washington

Washington is the largest of 1 District of Columbia cities in this dataset.