Management occupations · SOC 11-9041 · California
Architectural and engineering managers in California
Architectural and engineering managers in California earned a median of $210,280 a year in May 2025, above the $171,270 national median for the occupation. California employs 29,630 of them, 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the state. Most people entering the occupation nationally do so with a bachelor's degree.
Median annual pay in California
$210,280
Above the $171,270 national median for this occupation
Median hourly pay in California
$101.10
Published separately by BLS, not calculated from the annual figure.
Middle half earn between
$169,140 – $251,890
The 25th to 75th percentile of everyone in the occupation in this state
Employed in California
29,630
1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the state
Concentration vs national
1.15×
more concentrated here than nationally
Pay rank
#2 of 51
Among the states and DC that released an estimate for this occupation
Typical entry education (U.S.)
Bachelor's degree
Federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates.
What architectural and engineering managers actually earn in California
The full published wage distribution (May 2025), not one averaged figure. Pay inside a single occupation varies more by experience, employer and setting than most salary pages admit.
- 10th percentile
- $137,900
- 25th percentile
- $169,140
- Median
- $210,280
- 75th percentile
- $251,890
- 90th percentile
- $296,130
How California compares
- Against the rest of the country. $210,280 in California against $171,270 nationally for the same occupation, which puts California 2nd of the 51 jurisdictions that released an estimate. Neither figure is adjusted for cost of living, so a higher median does not by itself mean more money left over.
- Against other work in California. $210,280 against $58,240, the median across every occupation in the state — 261% above it.
- How much of this work is here. The occupation is more concentrated here than nationally (1.15× the national share of employment), 14th of 49 for concentration. Concentration describes where the work is, not how easy it is to be hired.
Where architectural and engineering managers are paid most
The highest published medians for this occupation (May 2025). Before reading it as a place to move, note that these are not cost-of-living adjusted and that the states paying most are often the ones where everything costs most.
How people get into this work
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports as typical for entry nationally. Typical is a measurement of the people already doing the work, not a rule: some enter with less and some with more.
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
5 years or more
On-the-job training
None
California licensing is not in these figures.
Many occupations, including most of health care, teaching, law, accountancy and the skilled trades, require a state licence, certification or registration before you can work. California sets its own, and none of it is part of the federal dataset above, so CampusPin cannot tell you whether this occupation is licensed here. Check the California licensing board before committing to a route, because where an occupation is licensed that requirement, not the typical credential, is the real gate.
What people study to get here, and where in California
Fields the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk associates with this occupation, ordered by how many credentials U.S. colleges conferred in each — a measure of how many people take a route, never of how good it is. Studying any of these does not lead only here, and this occupation is entered from other fields too.
30 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 26 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $99,182 four years after graduating; highest, California State University Maritime Academy ($126,395) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
35 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 19 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $106,871 four years after graduating; highest, University of California, Berkeley ($200,543) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
24 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 18 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $95,860 four years after graduating; highest, University of California, Berkeley ($108,548) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
23 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Graduates of 9 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $98,504 four years after graduating; highest, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($109,232) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
101 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Graduates of 3 California master's programs in this field earned a typical $123,810 four years after graduating; highest, University of California, Los Angeles ($177,858) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
30 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 17 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $107,193 four years after graduating; highest, Santa Clara University ($163,765) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
14 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 10 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $101,648 four years after graduating; highest, University of California, Berkeley ($121,027) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
15 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
Graduates of 8 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $101,167 four years after graduating; highest, University of Southern California ($125,514) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
6 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Graduates of 3 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $112,150 four years after graduating; highest, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($112,797) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
14 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
7 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Graduates of 5 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $76,613 four years after graduating; highest, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ($76,969) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
7 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
14 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
14 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Graduates of 4 California bachelor's programs in this field earned a typical $85,712 four years after graduating; highest, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($102,702) (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
10 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
3 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
2 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
7 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
1 college in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
1 college in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
2 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25.
6 colleges in California reported awarding credentials in this field in 2024-25 — see which ones, and what they cost.
Program figures are the median earnings of each program's graduates four years after completing (federal-aid recipients who worked and were not enrolled), not the pay of this occupation; the typical program is the median across the state's programs with at least 30 graduates measured.
This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.
Colleges in California
Pay is one half of the decision. What it costs to get qualified is the other, and it is the half that varies most between two colleges in the same state.
Source & methodology
State wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release. National median pay, projections and typical entry education are from the BLS Employment Projections programme (2024 wages). Both are public domain; credit BLS.
Wages are May 2025 estimates from the federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which asks employers what they pay everyone currently working in the occupation — experienced and new alike. They are not starting salaries, not the earnings of recent graduates, and not adjusted for cost of living, which matters when comparing one state against another. Self-employed workers are not surveyed.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (2026). Architectural and engineering managers in California, pay and employment. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/careers/architectural-and-engineering-managers/in/california
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