SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-1011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval — Columbus

Columbus, OH · 7 metro areas compared

$99,140 /year
$47.66per hour
960jobs in area
−0.1%vs US median

At $99,140, median pay for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval in Columbus, OH tracks the national median of $99,280 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $99,28010TH$62,22025TH$78,580MEDIAN$99,14075TH$127,86090TH$167,110

How pay has moved

$104,453$72,5782019202020212022202320242025$99,140
$86,970 in 2019 to $99,140 in 2025, +14% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.9%
Openings per year
7,800
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
On-the-job training
Internship/residency

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

10.5% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Columbus, OH.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $99,140, median pay for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval in Columbus, OH tracks the national median of $99,280 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $78,580 and $127,860. The lowest tenth earn under $62,220, while the highest tenth earn more than $167,110.

Employment stands at 960, or 0.9 jobs per thousand held locally. Dayton leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $102,550. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 96th of 611 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Columbus, OH · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$62,220−37.3%
25th$78,580−20.9%
Median (50th)$99,140−0.1%
75th$127,860+28.8%
90th$167,110+68.3%
Mean$105,700+6.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dayton$102,550190
2Cincinnati$98,750670
3Toledo$95,480150
4Cleveland$83,620860
5Youngstown$81,47050
6Akron$79,640270
7Canton$76,50050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Columbus run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $99,140 goes as far as $103,812 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$99,140as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$103,812US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $99,140 a year, 0.1% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $62,220 to $167,110 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 960 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dayton, at $102,550.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval in Columbus, OH?

The median annual wage is $99,140, or $47.66 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $99,280, so pay in Columbus, OH is 0.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Columbus, OH earns more than $167,110 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $62,220 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dayton, at $102,550 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 960 jobs in this occupation in Columbus, OH. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.