Information Technology Architect Career and Salary Outlook

Information technology architects create technical systems, services, and protocols that make organizations more efficient. These high-level positions call for skilled computer leaders with experience and education.

Gartner projects that 60% of organizations will rely on information technology architects to lead their digital innovation by 2023. Explore the outlook for this occupation and what factors might influence earnings and opportunities with this helpful guide.

What Does an IT Architect Do?

Information technology architects manage organizations' technological components, plans, and solutions. They ensure that the IT department and project processes aid the business in meeting its goals. These professionals may also manage risk and ensure their companies' regulatory compliance.

Information technology architects engage with many departments and professionals, including IT personnel, designers, and support staff. They also work with marketing, operations, and sales, along with other managers and stakeholders.

As technology management increases in complexity, IT architects need to expand the scope of their practice. Their roles may relate to many specializations, including security, data, application, business, and technical architecture.

How Much Does an Information Technology Architect Make?

Many factors can affect information technology architect salaries, including experience, education, and location. Their roles and specializations also play a part, as increased responsibilities or highly specialized and niche professionals tend to earn more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the top 10% of computer network architects made nearly $50,000 more than the median annual salary for the entire profession.

Average Salary for Information Technology Architects by Experience

Experienced professionals typically earn more than entry-level professionals because they better understand the field, have demonstrated the ability to satisfy the job requirements, and have shown commitment and dedication to the profession.

According to Payscale, information technology architect salaries grow significantly with experience. Experience can lead to employment perks such as bonuses and profit sharing.

Average Salary for Information Technology Architects by Education

In general, salaries tend to increase with higher levels of education. As demonstrated in the tables below, information technology architect salaries follow this trend for the most part. Among other reasons, professionals with advanced credentials have stronger research and leadership skills to meet the requirements for higher-paying positions.

IT architects can also specialize their knowledge through graduate degrees and bootcamps, which might make them more valuable for some employers. However, while specializations can increase salaries, they can also limit the number of positions available to information technology architects.

While the following tables include salary data for IT architects and related positions at various degree levels, some of the figures may not have more than 50 respondents.

Information Technology Architect Salary by Location

Location-related factors can affect information technology architects' salaries, including cost of living and regional demand. Many of the highest-paying cities and states in this field have high costs of living, including California, New Jersey, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

The top-paying regions also specialize in information technology. Rhode Island, for example, has an industry concentration 18% higher than the national average. Some cities feature higher wages due to their proximity to other lucrative locations, such as Redwood City in Silicon Valley.

Inflated location-specific wages can also result from a specific growth industry or a single organization. Ashburn, Virginia, for example, is home to the highest concentration of major data centers in the country.

Source: Payscale, November 2022

Note: Some of these salary figures are based on limited data.

Source: BLS

Career Outlook for IT Architects

The career outlook for information technology architects varies depending on the location, industry, and specialization. For example, the BLS projects a 4% growth rate for computer network architects and a 9% growth rate for database architects from 2021-2031. While technological advances drive demand in both of these specializations, process automation has begun to slow growth on the network side.

Fast-growing tech sectors, such as data management and cybersecurity, may experience more growth in the coming years than many other IT architect specializations. While specializing in these fields can lead to promising opportunities, information technology architects may also consider broadening their skills to cast a wider net.

Additional factors that could influence future jobs in this profession include the ever-expanding regulation field. Professionals who can help organizations handle government and technological regulations should benefit from it.

Best Locations for Information Technology Architects

Along with increasing the salaries for information technology architects, location affects the number of professional opportunities available. States with large populations and booming metropolitan regions have more extensive workforces, such as California, Texas, and New York. Technology-specialist locations, such as Virginia and Colorado, also stand out.

While the powerful IT clusters and infrastructures can provide job opportunities and security, up-and-coming regions should also attract new information technology architects. States like Utah, Arizona, and Florida experienced considerable growth from 2010-2020, per the U.S. Census. As these regions have expanded, their information technology sectors have followed.

Certain factors can affect these numbers, however. States with small workforces can receive a big percentage bump with only a handful of new positions. Furthermore, growth in remote work will increasingly allow professionals to acquire distant jobs and could spread out industry clusters and opportunities to less concentrated locations.

Source: BLS

Source: Projections Central

Career Opportunities for Information Technology Architects

According to Payscale, information technology architects can advance into solutions and enterprise architect roles. They may also take on more general information technology or systems management positions. These careers may require significant experience, advanced education, or other credentials.

Industry certifications can help professionals advance, such as the AWS-certified solutions architect and the CISSP information systems security architecture professional. Additionally, professionals may advance by strengthening their skills in growing areas, such as cloud technology and DevOps. Information technology architects who evolve with their employer, industry, and technological landscape can thrive professionally.

FAQ About Information Technology Architecture Salaries and Careers

Do information technology architects get paid well?

Yes. According to Payscale, the average annual information technology architect salary is $122,730 as of November 2022.

What is the typical career path for an IT architect?

Information technology architects typically need 5-10 years of experience working in the IT field before taking on architect roles. They need to acquire broad knowledge of the field and its technologies, along with business and industry expertise.

What is the average salary for a new information technology architect?

According to Payscale, the average salary for information technology architects with less than one year of experience is $70,780, as of November 2022. With 1-4 years of experience, the average annual salary increases to about $95,520.

Where can I find more salary information for IT architects?

For more information on information technology architects' salaries, check out the occupation's Payscale page. While the BLS does not have specific details on the information technology architect profession, it does offer information on database architects and computer network architects.

Page last reviewed Nov 20, 2022