Average Architect Salary in Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Architect salary for 2024 in Canada and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Architect Make in Canada?

An Architect working in Canada will typically earn around 148,300 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 78,400 CAD to the highest average salary of 219,500 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
148,300 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
12,358 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
78,400 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
6,533 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
219,500 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
18,291 CAD

These are average salaries for an Architect in Canada and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Architect to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Architect salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Architect Salaries in Canada

So we've looked at the average salaries an Architect will earn in Canada. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Architect can earn between 78,400 CAD and 219,500 CAD on average in Canada. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Architect in Canada is 134,700 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 134,700 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 134,700 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Architect salary in Canada, 25% of the population are earning less than 94,800 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 94,800 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 163,500 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 163,500 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Architect Salary by Experience Level in Canada

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average architect salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Architect in Canada that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 92,100 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Architect salary would increase to 114,300 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Architect, the average salary would be 152,900 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 180,500 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Architect with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 199,700 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Architect with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 212,500 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
92,100 CAD
2-5 Years +26%
114,300 CAD
5-10 Years +32%
152,900 CAD
10-15 Years +18%
180,500 CAD
15-20 Years +11%
199,700 CAD
20+ Years +6%
212,500 CAD

Architect Salary by Education Level in Canada

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Architect in Canada based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Architect in Canada with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 118,900 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. An Architect in Canada with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 183,900 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
118,900 CAD
Master's Degree +53%
183,900 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Architect Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Canada, a male architect will earn an average of 151,800 CAD, while a female architect will earn around 142,300 CAD.

This means that a male architect earns approximately 7% more than a female architect for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Canada

Male
151,800 CAD
Female -7%
142,300 CAD

Architect Average Pay Raise in Canada

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Architect in Canada is around 12% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that an Architect in Canada can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Canada for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Architect Bonus and Incentive Rates in Canada

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Architect is a high bonus based job, with 79% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

21% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 7%.

Received Bonus
79%
No Bonus
21%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Architect

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Architect in Canada.

Job Title Category Salary
Architectural Designer Architecture 130,500 CAD
Architectural Drafter Architecture 57,100 CAD
Architectural Manager Architecture 222,700 CAD
Architectural Technician Architecture 79,600 CAD
Architectural Technologist Architecture 78,400 CAD
Architecture Consultant Architecture 206,700 CAD
Architecture Estimating Manager Architecture 165,900 CAD
Architecture Specifications Writer Architecture 55,100 CAD
Assistant Architectural Manager Architecture 191,100 CAD
CAD Drafter Architecture 58,000 CAD
CAD Manager Architecture 132,000 CAD
Design and Decoration Assistant Architecture 60,800 CAD
Design Manager Architecture 192,600 CAD
Drafter Architecture 59,700 CAD
Drafting Supervisor Architecture 102,700 CAD
Facilities and Project Manager Architecture 191,500 CAD
Facility Planner Architecture 109,000 CAD
Interior Architect Architecture 115,600 CAD
Interior Decorator Architecture 114,600 CAD
Interior Design Assistant Architecture 52,000 CAD
Interior Designer Architecture 121,800 CAD
Kitchen Designer Architecture 76,000 CAD
Landscape Architect Architecture 164,100 CAD
Landscape Artist Architecture 99,600 CAD
Landscaper Architecture 80,700 CAD
Mapping Technician Architecture 52,000 CAD
Mechanical Drafter Architecture 70,800 CAD
Photogrammetrist Architecture 63,000 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 142,100 CAD
Calgary 157,600 CAD
Edmonton 152,900 CAD
Gatineau 139,100 CAD
Halifax 134,100 CAD
Hamilton 146,700 CAD
Kitchener 142,300 CAD
Markham 132,000 CAD
Mississauga 151,800 CAD
Montreal 153,800 CAD
Ottawa 153,700 CAD
Quebec 141,000 CAD
Regina 132,000 CAD
Richmond 134,100 CAD
Saskatoon 137,100 CAD
Surrey 138,700 CAD
Toronto 163,500 CAD
Vancouver 151,800 CAD
Vaughan 140,200 CAD
Windsor 140,700 CAD
Winnipeg 146,700 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 151,800 CAD
British Columbia 157,600 CAD
Manitoba 151,800 CAD
New Brunswick 134,700 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 128,400 CAD
Northwest Territories 140,200 CAD
Nova Scotia 130,400 CAD
Nunavut 158,700 CAD
Ontario 168,700 CAD
Prince Edward Island 127,600 CAD
Quebec 160,600 CAD
Saskatchewan 140,700 CAD
Yukon 127,700 CAD

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