Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
15-1241 Computer Network Architects
Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software. Excludes “Information Security Analysts” (15-1212), “Computer Network Support Specialists” (15-1231), and “Network and Computer Systems Administrators” (15-1244).
National estimates for Computer Network Architects
Industry profile for Computer Network Architects
Geographic profile for Computer Network Architects
National estimates for Computer Network Architects:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Computer Network Architects:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 168,830 |
1.4 % |
$ 58.01 |
$ 120,650 |
0.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Computer Network Architects:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 30.41 |
$ 40.32 |
$ 57.94 |
$ 73.06 |
$ 81.20 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 63,240 |
$ 83,870 |
$ 120,520 |
$ 151,960 |
$ 168,890 |
Industry profile for Computer Network Architects:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Computer Network Architects are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Computer Network Architects, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Computer Network Architects:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
45,980 |
2.03 |
$ 58.89 |
$ 122,500 |
| Telecommunications |
14,820 |
2.24 |
$ 52.14 |
$ 108,460 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
14,820 |
0.58 |
$ 56.81 |
$ 118,150 |
| Employment Services |
10,690 |
0.31 |
$ 56.08 |
$ 116,640 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
6,760 |
0.43 |
$ 63.91 |
$ 132,930 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Computer Network Architects:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Telecommunications |
14,820 |
2.24 |
$ 52.14 |
$ 108,460 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
45,980 |
2.03 |
$ 58.89 |
$ 122,500 |
| Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services |
6,480 |
1.71 |
$ 61.31 |
$ 127,510 |
| Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
230 |
1.08 |
$ 67.45 |
$ 140,300 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing |
1,510 |
0.97 |
$ 79.55 |
$ 165,470 |
Top paying industries for Computer Network Architects:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing |
1,510 |
0.97 |
$ 79.55 |
$ 165,470 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
2,820 |
0.29 |
$ 70.91 |
$ 147,490 |
| Other Information Services |
1,620 |
0.45 |
$ 68.87 |
$ 143,250 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing |
660 |
0.18 |
$ 67.45 |
$ 140,300 |
| Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
230 |
1.08 |
$ 67.45 |
$ 140,300 |
Geographic profile for Computer Network Architects:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Computer Network Architects are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Computer Network Architects, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Computer Network Architects:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
20,700 |
1.25 |
1.05 |
$ 62.14 |
$ 129,240 |
| Texas |
14,720 |
1.20 |
1.00 |
$ 55.69 |
$ 115,840 |
| New York |
11,040 |
1.27 |
1.06 |
$ 61.65 |
$ 128,230 |
| Virginia |
10,130 |
2.70 |
2.25 |
$ 65.72 |
$ 136,710 |
| Colorado |
8,460 |
3.23 |
2.69 |
$ 60.00 |
$ 124,800 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Network Architects:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Colorado |
8,460 |
3.23 |
2.69 |
$ 60.00 |
$ 124,800 |
| Virginia |
10,130 |
2.70 |
2.25 |
$ 65.72 |
$ 136,710 |
| Maryland |
6,730 |
2.65 |
2.21 |
$ 65.64 |
$ 136,520 |
| Kansas |
3,090 |
2.31 |
1.93 |
$ 40.45 |
$ 84,130 |
| Massachusetts |
5,910 |
1.74 |
1.45 |
$ 63.42 |
$ 131,910 |
Top paying states for Computer Network Architects:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Jersey |
6,700 |
1.74 |
1.45 |
$ 67.30 |
$ 139,990 |
| Rhode Island |
350 |
0.76 |
0.63 |
$ 66.60 |
$ 138,530 |
| Delaware |
620 |
1.41 |
1.18 |
$ 65.88 |
$ 137,040 |
| Virginia |
10,130 |
2.70 |
2.25 |
$ 65.72 |
$ 136,710 |
| Maryland |
6,730 |
2.65 |
2.21 |
$ 65.64 |
$ 136,520 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Computer Network Architects:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
12,790 |
1.47 |
1.23 |
$ 67.35 |
$ 140,090 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
9,330 |
3.18 |
2.65 |
$ 68.29 |
$ 142,040 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
6,590 |
1.84 |
1.53 |
$ 55.14 |
$ 114,690 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
5,970 |
1.41 |
1.18 |
$ 61.38 |
$ 127,660 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
5,750 |
3.92 |
3.27 |
$ 61.73 |
$ 128,400 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
5,460 |
0.96 |
0.80 |
$ 58.07 |
$ 120,790 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
5,400 |
2.09 |
1.74 |
$ 60.61 |
$ 126,070 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,150 |
1.99 |
1.66 |
$ 64.49 |
$ 134,140 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,910 |
3.66 |
3.05 |
$ 85.39 |
$ 177,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,850 |
1.71 |
1.43 |
$ 73.51 |
$ 152,900 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Network Architects:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
210 |
4.62 |
3.85 |
$ 60.90 |
$ 126,660 |
| Boulder, CO |
830 |
4.54 |
3.79 |
$ 61.92 |
$ 128,790 |
| Huntsville, AL |
1,020 |
4.43 |
3.70 |
$ 57.95 |
$ 120,530 |
| Colorado Springs, CO |
1,230 |
4.29 |
3.58 |
$ 54.61 |
$ 113,590 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
5,750 |
3.92 |
3.27 |
$ 61.73 |
$ 128,400 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,910 |
3.66 |
3.05 |
$ 85.39 |
$ 177,600 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
9,330 |
3.18 |
2.65 |
$ 68.29 |
$ 142,040 |
| Sioux Falls, SD |
480 |
3.07 |
2.56 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Lawrence, KS |
130 |
2.93 |
2.45 |
$ 38.82 |
$ 80,750 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
3,500 |
2.78 |
2.32 |
$ 65.86 |
$ 136,990 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Computer Network Architects:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,910 |
3.66 |
3.05 |
$ 85.39 |
$ 177,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,850 |
1.71 |
1.43 |
$ 73.51 |
$ 152,900 |
| Rapid City, SD |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 70.10 |
$ 145,810 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
9,330 |
3.18 |
2.65 |
$ 68.29 |
$ 142,040 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
12,790 |
1.47 |
1.23 |
$ 67.35 |
$ 140,090 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
3,500 |
2.78 |
2.32 |
$ 65.86 |
$ 136,990 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
2,660 |
1.38 |
1.16 |
$ 65.43 |
$ 136,100 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA |
360 |
0.66 |
0.55 |
$ 64.96 |
$ 135,110 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
270 |
0.73 |
0.61 |
$ 64.92 |
$ 135,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,150 |
1.99 |
1.66 |
$ 64.49 |
$ 134,140 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Computer Network Architects:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Network Architects:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Computer Network Architects:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
