Architecture Firm Compensation Benchmarks
Published wage percentiles for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011), Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, reference period May 2025.
What this data is, and what it is not
Every figure on this page is a published occupational wage percentile from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, national and cross-industry, reference period May 2025.
It is not a reasonable compensation determination, and it is not a compensation study. No table on this page is your number. A determination measures one company's own facts against what would ordinarily be paid for like services by like enterprises under like circumstances (Treas. Reg. § 1.162-7(b)(3)). There are no bright-line guidelines in the Code or the Regulations, so the courts decide reasonable compensation on the facts and circumstances of each case (IRS Fact Sheet FS-2008-25).
Which occupation series applies to a particular owner depends on facts this page does not know: what the owner does in a working week, how many hours, where the business operates, what the business can pay, and what the company actually sells. The tables below report what the published data says for an occupation. Nothing on this page is tax, legal, or financial advice.
The wage series on this page
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011)
For Architecture Firm businesses, the wage series behind the benchmark is Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011). That is the occupation whose published rates price the professional work the company sells, so the methodology selects it over a general supervisory series when the owner is the one delivering that work.
| Measure | 10th percentile | 25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual wage | $62,300 | $77,960 | $99,280 | $126,550 | $161,420 |
Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041)
This series is on the page because one of the work patterns below routes to it. It is a different occupation, not a second reading of the same one.
| Measure | 10th percentile | 25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual wage | $120,810 | $139,360 | $171,270 | $212,500 | $262,760 |
How the work pattern changes the series
The same company can price from a different wage series depending on how the owner actually spends the working week. That divergence is one reason a single published figure cannot answer the question.
- Performs the work: the owner spends most of the working week doing the trade or service the company sells.
- Splits the work: the owner both does that work and runs the business.
- Directs the work: the owner runs the business while other people do the work the company sells.
| How the owner works | Wage series |
|---|---|
| Performs the work | Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011) |
| Splits the work | Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011) |
| Directs the work | Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041) |
The management series runs higher because directing a staffed operation is a different and typically larger job than performing the work alone.
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Where these figures come from
The identifier beside each series is the exact OEWS series the cell was pulled from. These are national figures as published for May 2025. They are not adjusted for a local market and not aged forward to the current period.
Program documentation for these statistics: OEWS program page. Published tables for every occupation: OEWS data tables at BLS.
- BLS OEWS series
OEUN000000000000017101113carries the annual median for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011). Cells on this page are the May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-07-25. - BLS OEWS series
OEUN000000000000011904113carries the annual median for Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041). Cells on this page are the May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-07-25.
Does this read wrong?
Practitioners know their own trade better than a statistical table does. If the way this page describes the work does not match how the work is really done, tell us and we will fix the page.
Email hello@wagedefend.com and name this page (architecture).
Related benchmarks
Other published wage series in the same occupational family, or priced by the same rule.
- Civil Engineering: Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051)
- Electrical Engineering: Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071)
- Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141)
- Financial Advisory Business Owners: Personal Financial Advisors (SOC 13-2052)
For what the authorities actually require, start with S corp reasonable compensation: the legal standard.
This page is general information about published wage data and published legal authorities. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice for any specific situation.
A benchmark is the starting point, not the finding.
The sample report shows how one company's own facts, hours, and payroll history move a figure off the published series, with the authority behind each step.