While firm leaders saw stagnant or declining salaries, emerging professionals and specialized roles (e.g., medical planners, specifications writers) experienced stronger growth. Gains between 2023 and 2025 were moderate compared to the post-pandemic boom (5 percent annual growth), but they outpaced the stagnant compensation of the 2019–2021 pandemic period. Since 2002, architect compensation has grown 88 percent, closely aligning with the 88 percent increase for professional roles and 89 percent for all private sector workers, highlighting how compensation volatility tends to balance out over time.

Additional insights include: 

•    Architectural associates (non-licensed recent graduates) saw some of the most robust salary growth among architectural staff from 2023 to 2025 at 7 percent.
 •    77 percent of large firms offer mentorship opportunities.
• 21 percent of large firms reported applying AIA’s Guides for Equitable Practice in 2024.
 •    Over the past two decades, the value of benefits as a share of compensation has been drifting down from 19 percent to 16 percent.
• AIA offers members a salary calculator to learn topline data on architecture position salary ranges by region of the country.  

Visit AIA’s website to learn more about the AIA Compensation & Benefits Report 2025.