What Does a Junior Architect Do?
Junior architects are early-career designers working in an architecture firm under a licensed architect, usually while logging the experience hours needed for their own license. Most of the week goes into Revit or AutoCAD, producing floor plans, building sections, exterior facade drawings, door and finish schedules and wall details for construction documents. They also research code requirements, build 3D models and renderings for client presentations, mark up consultant drawings and visit sites to measure existing conditions or check construction. A project architect reviews their work, and the title signals someone still on the path to licensure.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Architect, Design Architect, Planner, Project Architect, Specifications Writer.
Junior Architect Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a junior architect include:
- Produce plans, sections, facade drawings and enlarged details in Autodesk Revit or AutoCAD from a project architect's sketches and redlines.
- Build and maintain the building information model, including wall types, door and window families and room data.
- Research building code, accessibility and zoning requirements for occupancy, egress, fire ratings and setbacks, and summarize them for the team.
- Assemble construction document sets and specifications, keeping sheet indexes and revision clouds current.
- Coordinate drawings with structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing consultants and flag clashes during model reviews.
- Create 3D views, renderings and presentation boards in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign for client meetings and design reviews.
- Measure and photograph existing buildings during site surveys and turn the field notes into as-built drawings.
- Review shop drawings and submittals during construction and draft responses to contractor requests for information.
- Attend client and contractor meetings, take notes and track action items for the project architect.
- Build physical study models in the model shop when a project calls for them.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a junior architect, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Production-level Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD, with clean drafting standards and orderly view and layer management
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for diagrams, renderings and presentation boards
- Working knowledge of the International Building Code and ADA accessibility standards
- An understanding of how buildings go together, from wall assemblies and flashing to structural grids
- Checking a drawing set for dimension errors, missing tags and sheet coordination problems
- Taking redlines from a senior architect without defensiveness and turning them around quickly
- Quick freehand sketching to explain an idea in a meeting before it goes into the model
- Enrollment in the Architectural Experience Program and progress on the Architect Registration Examination
Education and Training
The standard route is a professional architecture degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, either a five-year Bachelor of Architecture or a Master of Architecture, which takes two to three and a half years after a bachelor's in another field. Among architects, 43 percent report a bachelor's degree and 24 percent each report a master's or a professional degree. After school, you log supervised hours through the Architectural Experience Program and pass the multi-part Architect Registration Examination. Every state requires a license to practice as an architect, and some restrict the word architect in job titles, so firms in those states use titles such as junior designer instead.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $77,960 - $126,550 per year, with a median of $99,280.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Architects, Except Landscape and Naval.
BLS projects employment of architects, except landscape and naval to grow about 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,900 openings a year. Junior architect roles are the first step toward becoming a licensed architect. The path typically takes 3-5 years of supervised experience plus passing licensing exams. Growing demand for sustainable design and urban planning supports the profession.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Architects, except landscape and naval.
Junior Architect Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $62,300 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $77,960 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $99,280 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $126,550 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $161,420 |
Highest-Paying States for Junior Architects
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Wyoming ($120,580), Massachusetts ($117,330), Maryland ($114,550), Alaska ($108,730), California ($108,540). Pay is lowest in Maine ($78,600), Arkansas ($78,190), New Mexico ($77,720).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $95,990 |
| Alaska | $108,730 |
| Arizona | $102,000 |
| Arkansas | $78,190 |
| California | $108,540 |
| Colorado | $102,400 |
| Connecticut | $103,540 |
| Delaware | $97,030 |
| District of Columbia | $102,040 |
| Florida | $96,240 |
| Georgia | $100,420 |
| Hawaii | $102,340 |
| Idaho | $93,710 |
| Illinois | $81,780 |
| Indiana | $96,060 |
| Iowa | $96,810 |
| Kansas | $85,490 |
| Kentucky | $97,680 |
| Louisiana | $79,580 |
| Maine | $78,600 |
| Maryland | $114,550 |
| Massachusetts | $117,330 |
| Michigan | $88,430 |
| Minnesota | $99,940 |
| Mississippi | $80,870 |
| Missouri | $98,490 |
| Montana | $97,290 |
| Nebraska | $91,530 |
| Nevada | $101,570 |
| New Hampshire | $101,100 |
| New Jersey | $99,800 |
| New Mexico | $77,720 |
| New York | $99,280 |
| North Carolina | $95,700 |
| North Dakota | $97,110 |
| Ohio | $94,960 |
| Oklahoma | $100,350 |
| Oregon | $98,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,030 |
| Rhode Island | $105,160 |
| South Carolina | $101,550 |
| South Dakota | $102,500 |
| Tennessee | $94,030 |
| Texas | $94,490 |
| Utah | $95,590 |
| Vermont | $82,400 |
| Virginia | $97,680 |
| Washington | $100,190 |
| West Virginia | $96,470 |
| Wisconsin | $98,510 |
| Wyoming | $120,580 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as architects, except landscape and naval about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 95% use email every day
- 90% are on the phone every day
- 85% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 67% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 65% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 43% |
| Master's degree | 24% |
| Professional degree | 24% |
Tools and Software Junior Architects Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as creative work and self-expression.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Operations Analysis, Active Listening, Writing.
Knowledge areas used most: Design, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 17-1011.00 (Architects, Except Landscape and Naval). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.