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.
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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.