Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RCA
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.
Also called: Architect, Architectural Designer, Design Architect, Project Architect, Planner, Specifications Writer.
O*NET 17-1011.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $99,280
- Middle half earn $77,960 to $126,550. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +4% · As fast as average
- 123,600 jobs in 2024, projected 128,400. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Architects".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.
- Plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, factories, or other structural properties in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations.
- Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.
- Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
- Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.
- Conduct periodic on-site observations of construction work to monitor compliance with plans.
- Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
- Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Speaking4.0 / 5
- Active Listening3.9 / 5
- Writing3.9 / 5
- Monitoring3.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Design4.7 / 5
- Building and Construction4.6 / 5
- Engineering and Technology4.0 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
- English Language3.9 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic65
- Investigative48
- Artistic52
- Social25
- Enterprising44
- Conventional57
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- civil engineer · DE Bauingenieur/Bauingenieurin · FR ingénieur génie civil/ingénieure génie civil
- construction engineer · DE Bauingenieur Gebäudetechnik/Bauingenieurin Gebäudetechnik · FR ingénieur travaux/ingénieure travaux
- naval architect · DE Schiffsarchitekt/Schiffsarchitektin · FR architecte naval/architecte navale
- architect · DE Architekt/Architektin · FR architecte
- interior architect · DE Innenarchitekt/Innenarchitektin · FR architecte d’intérieur
- landscape architect · DE Landschaftsarchitekt/Landschaftsarchitektin · FR architecte paysagiste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Architects (2451)61,000 employed
- Mechanical engineers (professional) (2122)94,400 employed
- Visual merchandisers and related occupations (7125)10,400 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Japan
Japan classifies jobs in its own way. The closest category that names the same work is “建築技術者”, which may be narrower or broader than this occupation.
- Median monthly pay
- ¥368,500
- Middle half earn ¥292,400 to ¥484,400 a month.
- Workers in the category
- 373,320
- Regular employees in firms of ten or more.
Scheduled monthly pay before tax, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it is not comparable to the annual figures above. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025, via e-Stat, under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use. The category match was made by hand.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.05. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-1011).
Related careers
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