Architects, Except Landscape and Naval Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $96K, rent takes 16.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,008/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 $3,974/month. At HUD’s $1,008/month FMR, rent would take 25% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $96K locally vs. $99K nationally, a 3% difference.

West Virginia pays $96K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.03), the purchasing-power equivalent is $108K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $96,470 a year, that works out to about $46 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $66,240, and experienced architects, except landscape and navals can clear $137,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,017/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,008/month, which eats 16.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

West Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 89.03 (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 $108,357 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.