Talent Maps / Houston / Architects

Houston Architect Talent Map (2026)

What architects earn in Houston, how many are licensed in Texas, which firms employ them and the medical, school, airport and convention center projects shaping the market.

Hiring architects in Houston?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers architects in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), licensing figures from the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners and NCARB, and market data from 2025 and 2026. Our Houston architectural recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Houston CAD designer and structural engineer talent maps.

$97,590Median architect pay in HoustonBLS, May 2025

$103,670Median landscape architect pay in Houston, higher than architectsBLS, May 2025

15,485Active registered architects in TexasTBAE, August 2026

3NAAB-accredited architecture schools in the Houston areaTBAE

$2BGeorge R. Brown Convention Center transformationGreater Houston Partnership

47.2AIA Architecture Billings Index for August 2026, where below 50 means billings are fallingAIA/Deltek

Architect salaries in Houston

The median architect in metro Houston earns $97,590 a year, about $3,100 more than the Texas median of $94,490 and about $1,700 below the national median of $99,280. Houston pays more than Dallas-Fort Worth, where the median is $93,840, but its top 10% earn $147,470 or more, below the national figure.

Annual pay percentile	Houston metro	Texas	United States
10th percentile	$60,690	$60,730	$62,300
25th percentile	$77,030	$76,730	$77,960
Median	$97,590	$94,490	$99,280
75th percentile	$126,090	$121,670	$126,550
90th percentile	$147,470	$142,130	$161,420

Architects, except landscape and naval (SOC 17-1011). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

Related roles in Houston: landscape architects earn a median of $103,670, interior designers $61,220 and architectural and civil drafters $63,120.

How many architects are licensed in Texas

The Texas Board of Architectural Examiners counted 15,485 active registered architects on August 1, 2026, of whom 9,002 live in Texas. Licensure takes an NAAB-accredited degree, the Architectural Experience Program and all six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination, which had a 55% pass rate in 2025.

Where Houston’s architects work

Headquartered in Houston

PGAL, founded in 1946, has almost 300 professionals across 12 offices. Kirksey was founded in Houston in 1971 and Ziegler Cooper in 1977.

Other Houston-based practices include Powers Brown, HarrisonKornberg, Jackson & Ryan, PDR, Method Architecture and Studio Red, named an AIA Houston Emerging Professional Friendly Firm for 2026.

National firms’ Houston studios

Gensler opened its Houston office in 1972 and ranked No. 4 on the Houston Business Journal’s 2026 list of largest architecture firms. Perkins&Will, HKS and Corgan also have Houston studios, and Stantec absorbed Page, which had a large Houston office, in August 2025.

Healthcare and institutional

The Texas Medical Center and its hospitals are one of Houston’s biggest sources of architecture work. HKS’s Houston work includes MD Anderson’s Alkek Tower.

Owners and developers

Houston First, Houston Airports, school districts and the hospital systems all hire architects and manage design contracts, as do commercial and industrial developers.

What’s shaping the Houston architecture market

Billings are soft. The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index was 47.2 in August 2026 and 46.1 in the South. Below 50 means more firms report falling billings than rising.
Convention center. The George R. Brown Convention Center’s $2 billion transformation adds GRB Houston South, a 700,000 square foot building opening in May 2028, with the full campus finished by 2038.
Medical. The TMC’s Helix Park is a $1.5 billion, 37 acre life science campus planned for about 5 million square feet. MD Anderson has new facilities opening between 2026 and 2031, and Harris Health’s $2.5 billion bond funds a new LBJ hospital.
Airports. IAH opened an expanded Terminal E in March 2026, and United’s $2.5 billion Terminal B is due in 2026.
Schools. Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion bond failed in November 2024, the largest school bond ever proposed in Texas. Lamar CISD’s $1.9 billion campus bond passed in November 2025, and Cy-Fair ISD has a $1.6 billion bond on the November 2026 ballot.

The talent pipeline

Three accredited schools. Three of Texas’s eight NAAB-accredited architecture schools are in the Houston area: the University of Houston’s Hines College of Architecture and Design (B.Arch and M.Arch), Rice University (B.Arch and M.Arch) and Prairie View A&M (M.Arch).
Growth. Texas is projected to grow from 8,680 architect jobs in 2024 to 9,950 in 2034, a 15% increase against 4% nationally, with about 670 openings a year.

What this means if you’re hiring

Healthcare portfolios are in demand. The medical center’s expansion keeps healthcare architects busy while other sectors slow.
Pay near national rates for licensed architects. Plan on the 75th percentile ($126,090) for project architects.
Recruit from three schools. UH, Rice and Prairie View A&M give Houston more accredited architecture schools than any other Texas metro.
Support licensure. With a 55% ARE pass rate, paying for exams and study time is a strong retention tool.

Need architects in Houston?

Apollo Technical has recruited for architecture and engineering firms since 2010. Our recruiting teams place architects, project architects and designers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 832.519.1704 or see our Houston architectural recruiters page.

Hire architects in Houston

Frequently asked questions

How much do architects make in Houston?

The median architect salary in metro Houston is $97,590 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $77,030 and $126,090, and the top 10% earn $147,470 or more.

Which architecture schools are in Houston?

The University of Houston, Rice University and Prairie View A&M all have NAAB-accredited architecture programs.

What are the largest architecture firms in Houston?

Houston-based firms include PGAL, Kirksey and Ziegler Cooper, and Gensler, Perkins&Will, HKS, Corgan and Stantec run large Houston studios.

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