Architects, Except Landscape and Naval Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 27.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new architects, except landscape and navals typically earn — is $66K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,955/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 42% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $98K locally vs. $99K nationally, a 2% difference.

Virginia pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $103K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $97,680 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,910, and experienced architects, except landscape and navals can clear $164,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,000/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 27.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median architects, except landscape and naval salary is worth about $103,049 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.