Talent Maps / Tampa / Architects

Tampa Architect Talent Map (2026)

What architects earn in metro Tampa, which design firms and project owners employ them, where in the metro they work, and the airport, hospital, mixed-use and ballpark projects competing for them.

Hiring architects in Tampa?

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which spans Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and company data published from 2023 to 2026. Our Tampa architectural recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Tampa civil, structural and CAD designer talent maps.

$94,610Median architect pay in metro TampaBLS, May 2025

$157,100+What the top 10% of Tampa architects earnBLS, May 2025

$1.52BAirside D at Tampa International, designed with Gensler and HNTB, opening in 2029Tampa International Airport

$1.1BCapital plan for Moffitt’s 775-acre Speros campus in Pasco CountyBusiness Observer, 2026

452Apartments in a 33-story Water Street Tampa tower, due in 2029Business Observer, July 2026

$796MCounty cap on public funding for the Rays ballpark, approved August 28, 2026WUSF

Architect salaries in Tampa

The median architect in metro Tampa earns $94,610 a year, $1,630 below the Florida median of $96,240 and $4,670 below the national median of $99,280. The hourly median is $45.49. The pattern changes at the top. Tampa’s 90th percentile is $157,100, which is $18,870 above Florida’s $138,230 and within $4,320 of the national $161,420. The 25th percentile of $72,860 is lower than Florida’s $76,550.

Annual pay percentile	Tampa metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$59,990	$59,990	$62,300
25th percentile	$72,860	$76,550	$77,960
Median	$94,610	$96,240	$99,280
75th percentile	$121,130	$122,940	$126,550
90th percentile	$157,100	$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.

Landscape architects, who work on projects such as the Water Street Tampa public spaces, earn a Tampa median of $77,040, below the national $79,870. Pay runs from $59,630 at the 10th percentile to $129,000 at the 90th.

Orlando’s median is $96,190, which is $1,580 above Tampa’s. Miami’s is $97,500 and Jacksonville’s is $99,230. Tampa’s high 90th percentile stands out among them. Orlando’s is $138,890. See our Orlando architect talent map.

Where Tampa’s architects work

National design firms with Tampa offices

Gensler’s Tampa office is downtown and has nearly 11,000 square feet. Its Tampa projects include Airside D at the airport, Blocks 1 and D at Water Street Tampa, the Rays Hillsborough master plan and the Jabil Innovation Center and global headquarters.

Gresham Smith has worked in Tampa since 1997 and opened an 18,000-square-foot office at Midtown Tampa. It does architecture, engineering and interiors for aviation, healthcare, transportation and workplaces.

Local firms

Rowe Architects was founded in 1965 and works from 100 East Madison Street. It does K-12 and higher education, historic preservation, municipal and commercial work. Its projects include the St. Petersburg High School historic renovation and the SPC Bay Pines STEM Center.

New entrants

The Lawrence Group, a St. Louis firm, opened a Tampa office in February 2025, its second in Florida. JSWD, a German firm led by a University of South Florida architecture professor, opened its first US office in Tampa in 2024 and said it was hiring 30 people.

Project owners and teams on large jobs

On Moffitt’s Speros campus the development team includes DLR Group | Tsoi Kobus Design, Hammes Company, Barr & Barr and Horus Construction. Water Street Tampa’s second phase has involved Gensler, KPF, Nichols Architects, MAWD and OJB.

Where the talent sits: Tampa submarkets

Downtown Tampa and Water Street

Mixed-useHigh-rise

Water Street Tampa’s second phase is a nearly $1 billion investment. The 33-story tower is set to break ground in spring 2027, with Moss as general contractor.

Westshore and the airport

Aviation

Airside D has 16 gates in about 600,000 square feet. Gresham Smith also did the main terminal modernization, covering restrooms, finishes, displays and wayfinding.

Midtown Tampa

HealthcareWorkplace

Gresham Smith’s Tampa office sits at The Loft at Midtown Tampa.

Dale Mabry and Drew Park

SportsMixed-use

The Rays ballpark would sit on the Hillsborough College campus along Dale Mabry Highway, with a mixed-use district and a reworked college campus.

Pasco and Land O’ Lakes

HealthcareLife sciences

Moffitt’s Speros campus is planned for more than 140 buildings and 11,000 jobs once fully developed, with overall completion expected by 2028.

What’s driving demand for architects in Tampa

Airside D. The $1.52 billion terminal is the airport’s largest expansion in nearly 20 years, with Gensler and HNTB on design and Hensel Phelps on construction. It is due to open in 2029.
Rays ballpark. Hillsborough County approved the deal 5 to 2 on August 28, 2026, and Tampa City Council approved it 4 to 3 the day before. The county’s share is capped at $796 million, the city adds $80 million, and the team has committed more than $1.3 billion and any overruns. In February, the preliminary estimate was about $2.3 billion.
Water Street Tampa. The second phase includes a 33-story, 452-unit residential tower by Nichols Architects and an entertainment hub, with the tower due in 2029. In 2024 Gensler and KPF unveiled further buildings for the phase, including a residential tower and an office complex.
Healthcare. Moffitt’s Speros campus has about $600 million of construction underway on a $1.1 billion plan, and Tampa General’s $520 million, 565,000-square-foot tower is due in summer 2027.
Hillsborough College. The ballpark plan includes a reimagined campus for the college’s 45,000-plus students.
More firms entering. The Lawrence Group and JSWD both opened Tampa offices in the last two years.

Architecture specialties tied to these projects

Aviation and transportation architects for Airside D and other airport work.
Healthcare and life sciences architects for hospital towers and the Speros campus.
Mixed-use and high-rise residential architects for Water Street Tampa and the ballpark district.
Education architects for K-12, state college and university work.
Historic preservation architects for adaptive reuse in downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg.

The talent pipeline

University of South Florida. The School of Architecture and Community Design offers a Master of Architecture accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. It takes 108 credit hours for students without an architecture degree and as few as 54 for those with a pre-professional degree.
Firms bringing talent in. New offices from The Lawrence Group and JSWD add to the competition for experienced architects. For recruiting support see our Tampa architectural recruiters page.
Licensing. The Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design licenses architects. Applicants need a NAAB-accredited degree, the NCARB Architectural Experience Program and a passing score on the Architectural Registration Examination.

What this means if you’re hiring

Price principals and project architects above the median. The 75th percentile is $121,130, and the 90th reaches $157,100.
Expect competition from new offices. Two firms entered the Tampa market in 2024 and 2025, and JSWD said it planned to hire 30 people.
Entry pay is lower than the state. The 25th percentile is $72,860 against $76,550 for Florida, so junior architects cost less here.
Match the project. Airport, hospital and mixed-use experience is in demand, and Orlando’s median of $96,190 is only $1,580 higher.

Need architects in Tampa?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Tampa engineering recruiters page.

Hire architects in Tampa

Frequently asked questions

How much do architects make in Tampa?

The median architect salary in metro Tampa is $94,610 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $72,860 and $121,130, and the top 10% earn $157,100 or more.

Do architects earn more in Tampa or Orlando?

Orlando, by a small margin at the median. Its median is $96,190, against $94,610 in Tampa. Tampa’s 90th percentile is higher, $157,100 against $138,890. See our Orlando architect talent map.

Who hires architects in Tampa?

National firms such as Gensler and Gresham Smith, local firms such as Rowe Architects, newer entrants such as The Lawrence Group and JSWD, and project owners and teams on Tampa International Airport, Water Street Tampa, Moffitt and Tampa General.

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