Highest paying architecture and design careers in the US
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
9 careers in the United States
Ranked by typical pay
91ArchitectDesign buildings and get them built. A long licensing path with three gates: a degree, logged experience, and six exams.Typical pay$99kTo qualify7 to 10 yrsDemandModerate2Urban PlannerDecide what gets built where. Zoning, housing, transit and the long fights at public meetings.Typical pay$89kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandModerate3Industrial DesignerDecide what a physical product looks like, feels like and how it works before a factory builds a million of them.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerate4GIS AnalystTurn location data into maps and answers. GIS (geographic information systems) work sits behind 911 calls, utility crews and city plans.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood5Landscape ArchitectDesign the outdoor half of the world: parks, campuses, waterfronts and streets. A licensed profession with its own exams.Typical pay$80kTo qualify6 to 9 yrsDemandModerate6Land SurveyorDecide exactly where one person's land stops and the next one's starts, and sign your name to it.Typical pay$75kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModerate7Interior DesignerPlan the inside of buildings so they work, not just so they look good. Codes and drawings, not cushions.Typical pay$67kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandModerate8Architectural TechnologistTurn a rough design into the drawings a crew can build from. Two years of school, no exams, no license.Typical pay$66kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate9Surveying TechnicianMeasure the land before anyone builds on it. You can start straight out of high school and learn on the crew.Typical pay$54kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGood