Interior Architect Salary
New graduates who enter the field of interior architecture at entry-level, earn an estimated $40,000 per year. However, depending on various things such as an individuals education levels, experience, licenses, employment history and employment location can determine whether or not an interior architect is making more or less than the average median wage. Also, depending on an individual’s flexibility, he or she may consider going into business for his or herself, where salaries have the potential of being much more per year.
Being employed by a company versus self-employment has its benefits, as well as its drawbacks. One benefit to being your own boss is utilizing your creativeness, unique designs, and intelligence to complete a project. However, one downside to being your own boss, is lacking the expertise of interior architects who have been around longer, have more connections and a bigger client base. When you are self-employed you rely heavily on yourself to complete the project, which turns into long hours and a decreased amount of pay hourly.
Internship Salaries
Interior architects who find themselves working in firms for internship or apprenticeship purposes, can expect to earn a paycheck for their duties and hours worked. Generally, interns do not make more than $25,000 per year, as they are not licensed yet. However, there are numerous advantages to earning a salary while interning at an architectural design firm. First of all, you are at the bottom and the only way to work yourself is up in position and salary. Second, you obtain experience working at internships, which plays to ones advantage when it comes to an actual employment location and salary.
Still, interior architecture students who are participating in an internship earn extra money for school courses, fees, exam fees, travel expenses, food, room and board, plus other living expenses associated with a full-time student’s life. When tuition’s are high, every extra penny helps, especially since graduate programs are often times more expensive than undergraduate programs.
Annual Salaries by State
Below is a list of the average median salary, according to the BLS, for each State as of 2008.
| Alabama | $52,490 |
| Alaska | $61,360 |
| Arizona | $44,640 |
| Arkansas | $36,740 |
| California | $57,300 |
| Colorado | $43,230 |
| Connecticut | $49,890 |
| Delaware | $41,590 |
| D.C. | $61,400 |
| Florida | $47,560 |
| Georgia | $51,500 |
| Hawaii | $61,010 |
| Idaho | $44,060 |
| Illinois | $49,890 |
| Indiana | $44,170 |
| Iowa | $38,800 |
| Kansas | $42,400 |
| Kentucky | $36,000 |
| Louisiana | $41,830 |
| Maine | (8) |
| Maryland | $57,200 |
| Massachusetts | $60,370 |
| Michigan | $60,400 |
| Minnesota | $46,180 |
| Mississippi | $31,120 |
| Missouri | $44,330 |
| Montana | $42,540 |
| Nebraska | $55,840 |
| Nevada | $67,110 |
| New Hampshire | $51,220 |
| New Jersey | $54,240 |
| New Mexico | $48,360 |
| New York | $65,230 |
| North Carolina | $44,050 |
| North Dakota | $35,690 |
| Ohio | $42,960 |
| Oklahoma | $46,640 |
| Oregon | $51,390 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,290 |
| Rhode Island | $47,100 |
| South Carolina | $48,070 |
| South Dakota | $38,700 |
| Tennessee | $44,600 |
| Texas | $45,990 |
| Utah | $54,720 |
| Vermont | $47,540 |
| Virginia | $56,150 |
| Washington | $52,100 |
| West Virginia | $29,260 |
| Wisconsin | $43,790 |
| Wyoming | $42,860 |
(8) – Estimate not available.
