- According to 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), architects who work designing buildings make anywhere between $20.34 per hour or $42,320 annually to $58.96 per hour or $122,640 per year. Architects with six-figure salaries have extensive work experience and management responsibilities. As a professional new to the job, you should expect to make closer to the lower end. Internships are part of a building architect's education, according to the BLS. These workers make significantly less than fully-licensed architects.
- Landscape architects earn less than their peers responsible for designing buildings, but they nevertheless earn decent salaries. Pay can range from anywhere between $17.66 to $48.33 hourly, or $36,740 to $100,530 per year. Expect to make close to the low end as an entry-level worker in this profession. Although interning isn't integrated within most landscape architecture programs the way it is with building architecture, the BLS reports that most educators and employers recommend that landscape students intern over the summer. Again, your wages will be lower if you're still working on your qualifications.
- If you're looking to maximize your earning potential when just starting out, try looking for work in a high-paying industry. The BLS reports that most building architects are employed by architecture and engineering firms and on nonresidential building projects. Work with real estate offices and insurance carriers, although more difficult to come by, pays significantly more on average. Building architects in firms or involved in nonresidential construction earn $37.82 and $37.37 per hour respectively, while those working in real estate and insurance make $51.14 and $46.95 per hour. While architecture firms are also the top employer of landscape architects, landscape professionals can earn more by working for the federal government. Firm-employed architects take home $31.92 per hour, while those with the government make $39.36 per hour on average.
- Both building and landscape architects are licensed on a state-by-state basis. If you're interested in getting licensed across states to increase your work opportunities, the BLS suggests that building architects earn certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, which is the main requirement for licensing reciprocity in a number of states. Certification with the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards plays a similar role for those with landscape architecture careers.
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