Talent Maps / Miami / Architects

Miami Architect Talent Map (2026)

What architects earn in metro Miami, which design firms, developers and public owners employ them, where in South Florida they work, and the towers, terminals and districts competing for them.

Hiring architects in Miami?

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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area, which spans Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project data published from 2024 to 2026. Our Miami architectural recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Miami CAD designer, civil and structural engineer talent maps.

$97,500Median architect pay in metro MiamiBLS, May 2025

$133,900+What the top 10% of metro Miami architects earnBLS, May 2025

$12BModernization in Action program at Miami International AirportMiami-Dade Aviation Department, 2026

100Stories in the Waldorf Astoria Miami tower, due in the second quarter of 2028Miami New Times, 2026

131Acres in the Miami Freedom Park district around a 25,000 seat stadiumMiami Freedom Park

$345MRoyal Caribbean Group’s Terminal G at PortMiamiCapital Analytics Associates

Architect salaries in Miami

The median architect in metro Miami earns $97,500 a year, $1,260 above the Florida median of $96,240 and $1,780 below the national median of $99,280. The middle of the market tracks the nation. The top does not. Miami’s 90th percentile is $133,900, against $138,230 statewide and $161,420 nationally, a gap of $27,520 to the US figure. The hourly median is $46.88.

Annual pay percentile	Miami metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$60,720	$59,990	$62,300
25th percentile	$78,360	$76,550	$77,960
Median	$97,500	$96,240	$99,280
75th percentile	$126,550	$122,940	$126,550
90th percentile	$133,900	$138,230	$161,420

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Architectural and civil drafters, the CAD and design technologists who support architects, earn a median of $61,720 in metro Miami, below the Florida median of $62,640 and the national $66,150. Pay runs from $43,680 at the 10th percentile to $95,150 at the 90th.

What the spread means in practice: Tampa’s architect median is $94,610, which is $2,890 below Miami’s, and its 25th percentile of $72,860 is $5,500 below Miami’s. Tampa does pay more at the very top, with a 90th percentile of $157,100 against $133,900 in Miami, so senior design leaders in Tampa can out-earn their Miami peers.

Where Miami’s architects work

Miami-based design firms

Arquitectonica is headquartered in Miami, with nine offices including one in West Palm Beach. Its Miami work includes Brickell City Centre, the Kaseya Center, the 48-story Five Park tower at 519 feet and studios for the University of Miami School of Architecture.

Kobi Karp Architecture designed The Cove Residences in Edgewater, 134 residences in 40 stories that broke ground in March 2026. Behar Font & Partners designed Arbor in Coconut Grove, 45 residences that received a temporary certificate of occupancy. Revuelta Architecture International designed Pagani Residences in North Bay Village, 70 condos in 30 stories.

Visiting and international firms

OMA New York designed The Perigon in Mid-Beach, 73 residences in 17 stories that topped out in March 2026.

Public owners and institutions

The Miami-Dade Aviation Department’s Concourse D West Extension will add 17 gates and targets LEED Silver and Envision Verified ratings. Concourse K is a $600.6 million design-build contract held by Lemartec-NV2A JV.

Royal Caribbean Group broke ground on Terminal G at PortMiami, a $345 million project.

Developers and districts

Property Markets Group is building the Waldorf Astoria Miami, 100 stories, with completion guided to the second quarter of 2028. Miami Worldcenter, a downtown open-air district, earned LEED-ND certification in May 2026. Miami Freedom Park covers 131 acres with a 25,000 seat stadium for Inter Miami CF.

Where the talent sits: Miami submarkets

Downtown and Brickell

High-riseMixed use

The Waldorf Astoria Miami tower passed its 60th floor in February 2026. Miami Worldcenter and Arquitectonica’s Brickell City Centre are both here.

Edgewater and the Design District

ResidentialHospitality

The Cove Residences broke ground in March 2026, and Miami Design Residences brings Fouquet’s first Miami location to the Design District.

Mid-Beach and North Bay Village

Luxury residential

The Perigon topped out in March 2026 and Pagani Residences, 70 condos with private marina access, was signing contracts.

Coconut Grove and Coral Gables

Boutique residentialEducation

Arbor in Coconut Grove received its temporary certificate of occupancy and Ponce Park Residences is a Coral Gables project in the same update. The University of Miami School of Architecture is also in Coral Gables.

Airport, port and the Freedom Park site

AviationSportsCruise

Concourse D’s 17 gates, Terminal G at PortMiami and the 131-acre Miami Freedom Park are the large public and institutional projects covered here.

What’s driving demand for architects in Miami

Supertall and luxury residential. The Waldorf Astoria Miami is guided for the second quarter of 2028 after earlier dates in 2025 and 2026. The March 2026 condo update lists The Cove, The Perigon, Pagani Residences, Arbor and Ponce Park.
Miami International Airport. The $12 billion program includes 17 new gates at Concourse D by 2030, a $600.6 million Concourse K and a $372.3 million Central Terminal Phase II.
Cruise terminals. Terminal G is a $345 million project for the largest ships. PortMiami reported a record 8,564,225 cruise passengers in fiscal 2025.
Miami Freedom Park. The 131-acre district includes more than 500,000 square feet of retail, hospitality and entertainment and up to 1 million square feet of office space.
Sustainable design standards. The airport’s Concourse D targets LEED Silver and Envision Verified, and Miami Worldcenter earned LEED-ND in May 2026.

Architecture specialties tied to these projects

High-rise residential and hospitality architects for the condo and branded-residence pipeline.
Aviation and terminal architects for Concourse D, Concourse K and the central terminal.
Cruise and waterfront architects for PortMiami terminals.
Master planners and mixed-use designers for Miami Worldcenter and Miami Freedom Park.
Sustainability and certification leads for LEED, LEED-ND and Envision projects.

The talent pipeline

University of Miami. The School of Architecture in Coral Gables offers a five-year Bachelor of Architecture and accredited Master of Architecture degrees.
FIU. The School of Architecture sits in the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts at Miami’s only public research university.
Licensing. Architects are licensed by the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design, which requires passing the Architect Registration Examination from NCARB. Licensees complete 24 continuing education hours before each renewal, including 2 hours of advanced Florida Building Code. See our Florida expansion guide.

What this means if you’re hiring

Anchor offers near $97,500. That is $1,780 under the national median and $1,260 above Florida’s.
Plan on the 75th percentile for licensed project architects. That is $126,550, the same as the national 75th percentile.
Expect a lower ceiling than the national market. Miami’s 90th percentile is $133,900, $27,520 under the US figure, so leadership roles may need to be priced above the local data.
Watch licensing. The board lists several routes, including NCARB certified endorsement and endorsement from other states.

Need architects in Miami?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Miami engineering recruiters page.

Hire architects in Miami

Frequently asked questions

How much do architects make in Miami?

The median architect salary in metro Miami is $97,500 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $78,360 and $126,550, and the top 10% earn $133,900 or more.

Do architects earn more in Miami or Tampa?

Miami, at the median. Its median is $97,500, against $94,610 in Tampa. Tampa’s 90th percentile is higher, $157,100 against $133,900. See our Tampa architect talent map.

Who hires architects in Miami?

Design firms such as Arquitectonica, Kobi Karp Architecture, Behar Font & Partners and Revuelta Architecture International, developers such as Property Markets Group, and public owners such as the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and PortMiami, plus Royal Caribbean Group and the Miami Freedom Park development.

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