What a network architect earns, by metro
Median pay for network architects runs from $62,140 in Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area to $186,110 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3× range across 303 metropolitan areas. The national median of $134,050 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Network Architect — nationalBLS OEWS · May 2025
$134,050Median annual
$64.45Median hourly
$79,90010th percentile
$202,68090th percentile
179,740Employed nationally
Median means half earn more and half earn less — it says nothing about
how far. The percentile columns are where the information is.
What the percentile band tells you
Ten per cent of network architects earn below $79,900 and ten per cent above $202,680 — a 2.54× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 51%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Where the money is
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
Highest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $186,110 | $89.47 | 2.08 | 2,730 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $172,650 | $83.01 | 1.54 | 3,710 |
| Rochester MN | $168,910 | $81.21 | 0.66 | 90 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $168,720 | $81.12 | 0.34 | 40 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $166,760 | $80.18 | 1.22 | 3,350 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | $165,570 | $79.60 | 0.71 | 220 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $163,010 | $78.37 | 0.93 | 10,230 |
| Bloomington IL | $161,780 | $77.78 | 2.32 | 240 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer SC | $161,170 | $77.49 | 0.77 | 390 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $160,650 | $77.24 | 1.68 | 5,240 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $160,340 | $77.09 | 1.58 | 2,480 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $159,820 | $76.84 | 0.51 | 240 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $159,820 | $76.84 | 2.58 | 9,370 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $159,720 | $76.79 | 1 | 690 |
| Maryland nonmetropolitan area | $158,520 | $76.21 | 0.61 | 80 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $157,700 | $75.82 | 0.84 | 1,490 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $156,560 | $75.27 | 1.06 | 1,730 |
| Boulder CO | $156,360 | $75.18 | 9 | 2,000 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $148,710 | $71.49 | 0.57 | 750 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $147,510 | $70.92 | 0.48 | 3,500 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $144,990 | $69.71 | 2.43 | 970 |
| Peoria IL | $144,680 | $69.56 | 1.38 | 260 |
| Springfield MA | $144,600 | $69.52 | 0.53 | 120 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $143,800 | $69.14 | 1.04 | 5,400 |
| Lexington Park MD | $141,510 | $68.03 | 2.19 | 180 |
Lowest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area | $62,140 | $29.87 | 0.31 | 50 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $72,070 | $34.65 | 0.17 | 140 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $78,410 | $37.70 | 0.45 | 200 |
| Elizabethtown KY | $78,920 | $37.94 | 0.88 | 50 |
| Jefferson City MO | $80,480 | $38.69 | 0.64 | 60 |
| Springfield MO | $82,020 | $39.44 | 0.52 | 130 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | $82,300 | $39.57 | 0.59 | 60 |
| Corpus Christi TX | $84,270 | $40.52 | 0.24 | 50 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $85,330 | $41.03 | 0.34 | 50 |
| Lawrence KS | $85,330 | $41.03 | 1.5 | 90 |
Boulder is the cluster
Boulder has 9× the national concentration of network architects — the densest market in the country for this role, with 2,000 employed locally. Pay there is $156,360, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
Where the role is most concentrated
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder CO | $156,360 | $75.18 | 9 | 2,000 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $130,980 | $62.97 | 6.73 | 2,460 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $139,230 | $66.94 | 5.51 | 10,260 |
| Huntsville AL | $132,410 | $63.66 | 5.4 | 1,660 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $159,820 | $76.84 | 2.58 | 9,370 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $120,640 | $58.00 | 2.55 | 2,190 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $144,990 | $69.71 | 2.43 | 970 |
| Bloomington IL | $161,780 | $77.78 | 2.32 | 240 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas AZ | $105,290 | $50.62 | 2.29 | 90 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $110,590 | $53.17 | 2.27 | 640 |
| Greeley CO | $125,560 | $60.36 | 2.23 | 310 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $131,690 | $63.31 | 2.22 | 440 |
Largest employers by metro
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $139,230 | $66.94 | 5.51 | 10,260 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $163,010 | $78.37 | 0.93 | 10,230 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $159,820 | $76.84 | 2.58 | 9,370 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $137,900 | $66.30 | 1.26 | 5,900 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $133,890 | $64.37 | 1.76 | 5,880 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $143,800 | $69.14 | 1.04 | 5,400 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $160,650 | $77.24 | 1.68 | 5,240 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $172,650 | $83.01 | 1.54 | 3,710 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $147,510 | $70.92 | 0.48 | 3,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $166,760 | $80.18 | 1.22 | 3,350 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $131,990 | $63.46 | 1.21 | 3,330 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $138,850 | $66.76 | 0.92 | 3,070 |
Current openings
Remote Network Architect
Denver-Aurora-CentennialNew York-Newark-Jersey CityWashington-Arlington-AlexandriaDallas-Fort Worth-ArlingtonAtlanta-Sandy Springs-RoswellChicago-Naperville-ElginBoston-Cambridge-NewtonSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
About this data
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 15-1241. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 303 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 225 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.