by Brianna Crandall — September 2, 2015—Although U.S. architecture firms are still recovering from the “Great Recession,” overall business conditions are improving, allowing an increase in compensation for architecture positions. Compensation across the profession increased an average of 1.8 percent per year over the 2013—2014 period, with growth occurring in every architectural staff category, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2015 Compensation Survey.
The average compensation for senior design/project management staff in 2015 was $103,400, higher than their average of $99,400 in 2013 and $94,900 in 2011. The average compensation for architects/designers in 2015 was $77,100, up from $73,000 in 2013 and $71,600 in 2011. For interns, the average compensation rose to $48,900 in 2015, from $47,300 in 2013 and $47,000 in 2011.
The full AIA Compensation Survey 2015 report is available for $209.50 for AIA members and $349 for nonmembers from the AIA Web site. Nine regional reports are also available, at $119.50 for members and $199 for nonmembers. In addition, metro area reports are available for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, at $149.50 for members and $249 for nonmembers.
The landing page for the report includes ordering information and a link to download a free sample chapter of the report. New for 2015, a Salary Calculator allows users to view mean and median salaries for 17 architectural staff positions and to cut salary data by region of the country or by firm size — all at no cost to AIA members.
