A building boom and increased competitiveness have contributed to a sixth-year rise in architects' salaries.
"Not only did the 2008 AIA Compensation Survey find that salaries for architecture positions increased more than 5.7 percent annually during that period-the strongest performance since the AIA began collecting compensation data in 1990-but also that they outpaced the rest of the economy.
Since 2002, the salaries of architects and unlicensed staff have risen an impressive 29.2 percent while the salaries of all private workers in the U.S. have increased an average of 18.6 percent. By the beginning of 2008, the average salary for an architecture job was $73,400; in 1990, it was only $34,000.
'Architects did some pretty significant catching up,' says Kermit Baker, the AIA's chief economist. 'Architectural compensation, historically, has been quite low. It's probably still quite low given the educational background most architects have, but it looks like it's really made some strides forward.'"
FULL STORY: Architect Salaries Rose Nearly 30 Percent in Six Years

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie