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Architect Average Salary in Canada 2024

How much money does a person working as Architect make in Canada?


Average Yearly Salary
147,000 CAD
( 12,200 CAD monthly)

LOW
79,200
CAD
AVERAGE
147,000
CAD
HIGH
221,000
CAD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Architect in Canada typically earns around 147,000 CAD. Salaries range from 79,200 CAD (lowest) to 221,000 CAD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Architect salaries in Canada vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Architect Pay Scale and Salaries in Canada

Median and salary distribution Canada Architect yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
131,000 CAD or more
10% of people earn
117,000 to 131,000 CAD
20% of people earn
86,900 CAD or less
65% of people earn
86,900 to 117,000 CAD
Minimum Salary
79,200 CAD
Median
131,000 CAD
Maximum
221,000 CAD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Architect in Canada range from 79,200 CAD (starting salary) to 221,000 CAD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 131,000 CAD, half of the professionals who work as Architect in Canada earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Architect in Canada earn less than 110,000 CAD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 148,000 CAD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Architect in Canada compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 86,900 CAD to 117,000 CAD. About 20% of salaries are below the 86,900 CAD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 117,000 CAD to 131,000 CAD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 131,000 CAD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Architect / Canada

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
92,000 CAD
2 - 5 Years+26%
116,000 CAD
5 - 10 Years+32%
153,000 CAD
10 - 15 Years+18%
180,000 CAD
15 - 20 Years+11%
199,000 CAD
20+ Years+6%
212,000 CAD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly Canada Architect
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Architect and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 92,000 CAD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 116,000 CAD, 26% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 153,000 CAD, 32% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 180,000 CAD, 18% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 199,000 CAD, 11% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 212,000 CAD, 6% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Architect / Canada

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Architect.

Bachelor's Degree
119,000 CAD
Master's Degree+53%
182,000 CAD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly Canada Architect
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Architect in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 119,000 CAD.


Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 182,000 CAD, 53% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Canada costs anywhere from 50,000 CAD to 150,000 CAD and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.

You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.

Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Architect / Canada

Salary comparison by gender Canada Architect yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Architect in Canada, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 4%.

Male
150,000 CAD
Female-4%
143,000 CAD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in Canada for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly Canada
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Architect / Canada

How much are annual salary increments in Canada for individuals working as Architect? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Architect in Canada are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate Canada Architect
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

Canada / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate Canada
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in Canada is 7%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Architect / Canada

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate Canada Architect
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21% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 79% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 6% to 7% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
79%
No Bonus
21%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Architect / Canada


70 CAD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Architect in Canada is 70 CAD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Architect in Canada is 38 CAD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Architecture-100%
3D Printing Architect120,000 CAD-18%
Active Travel Planner108,000 CAD-26%
Adaptive Reuse Architect120,000 CAD-18%
Architect147,000 CAD+0%
Architectural Designer131,000 CAD-11%
Architectural Drafter57,300 CAD-61%
Architectural Manager223,000 CAD+52%
Architectural Technician81,500 CAD-44%
Architectural Technologist79,200 CAD-46%
Architecture Consultant207,000 CAD+41%
Architecture Estimating Manager166,000 CAD+13%
Architecture Specifications Writer54,700 CAD-63%
Assistant Architectural Manager193,000 CAD+32%
Biophilic Design Consultant133,000 CAD-9%
Building Performance Analyst140,000 CAD-4%
CAD Drafter59,400 CAD-59%
CAD Manager133,000 CAD-9%
Computational Designer121,000 CAD-17%
Conservation Architect126,000 CAD-14%
Design and Decoration Assistant61,700 CAD-58%
Design Manager192,000 CAD+31%
Digital Design Strategist142,000 CAD-3%
Digital Fabrication Specialist134,000 CAD-9%
Drafter58,400 CAD-60%
Drafting Supervisor103,000 CAD-30%
Facilities and Project Manager190,000 CAD+30%
Facility Planner108,000 CAD-26%
Furniture Designer118,000 CAD-20%
Heritage Conservation Specialist93,100 CAD-36%
Interior Architect117,000 CAD-20%
Interior Decorator113,000 CAD-23%
Interior Design Assistant51,500 CAD-65%
Interior Designer121,000 CAD-17%
Kitchen Designer74,700 CAD-49%
Landscape Architect163,000 CAD+11%
Landscape Artist98,100 CAD-33%
Landscaper80,000 CAD-45%
Lighting Designer105,000 CAD-28%
Mapping Technician51,500 CAD-65%
Mechanical Drafter69,200 CAD-53%
Parametric Modeler109,000 CAD-26%
Photogrammetrist62,300 CAD-58%
Resilient Design Expert137,000 CAD-7%
Smart City Planner147,000 CAD+0%
Sustainability Architect154,000 CAD+5%
Urban Data Analyst145,000 CAD-1%
Urban Mobility Specialist133,000 CAD-9%
Urban Planner137,000 CAD-7%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Montreal152,000 CAD
Toronto164,000 CAD

Salary Comparison By State

StateAverage Salary
Alberta151,000 CAD
British Columbia157,000 CAD
Manitoba150,000 CAD
New Brunswick135,000 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador130,000 CAD
Northwest Territories142,000 CAD
Nova Scotia132,000 CAD
Nunavut159,000 CAD
Ontario169,000 CAD
Prince Edward Island128,000 CAD
Quebec161,000 CAD
Saskatchewan139,000 CAD
Yukon126,000 CAD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Canada is 4% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
117,000 CAD
Public Sector+4%
122,000 CAD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Architect in Canada?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 131,000 CAD and 148,000 CAD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Architect in Canada ranges from 79,200 CAD to 110,000 CAD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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