How to Become a Architect in South Carolina: Salary & Requirements (2026)
Quick answer: The median architect salary in South Carolina is $101,550 per year - 2% above the national median of $99,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The career requires a 4-year degree: NAAB-accredited Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch, 5 years) or M.Arch.
How to Become a Architect in South Carolina
1. Earn a NAAB-accredited degree
A 5-year B.Arch or a bachelor’s plus M.Arch; NAAB accreditation is required for licensure in most states.
2. Complete AXP experience hours
The Architectural Experience Program logs ~3,740 supervised hours across practice areas.
3. Pass the ARE
The six-division Architect Registration Examination.
4. Get your state license
State boards issue the license to stamp and seal drawings.
5. Advance
Project architect, principal, or firm ownership; NCARB certification eases multi-state practice.
Requirements in South Carolina
The education path is national - NAAB-accredited Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch, 5 years) or M.Arch - while licensing runs through the South Carolina state architects board: State architecture license via the ARE exam (required to stamp drawings). Verify current requirements with the South Carolina state architects board before enrolling, as details change.
Architect Salary in South Carolina
| Wage level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| South Carolina entry level (10th percentile) | $62,010 |
| South Carolina 25th-75th percentile | $75,140 - $130,570 |
| South Carolina median | $101,550 |
| South Carolina top earners (90th percentile) | $162,240 |
| U.S. median | $99,280 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. State employment: 1,030.
The South Carolina Job Market: Architect
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Employed in South Carolina | 1,030 |
| Jobs per 1,000 in the state | 0.45 |
| Concentration vs U.S. (location quotient) | 0.65 |
| Mean annual wage in South Carolina | $103,670 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. With a location quotient of 0.65, South Carolina employs architects at a lower concentration than the national average; expect fewer openings per capita and weigh relocation or remote-friendly specialties.
Salary Nationwide
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $62,300 |
| 25th | $77,960 |
| 50th (median) | $99,280 |
| 75th | $126,550 |
| 90th | $161,420 |
Job Outlook
| Year | Employment |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 123,600 |
| 2034 projected | 128,400 |
| Percent change | +3.9% |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a architect make in South Carolina?
The median annual wage for architects, except landscape and naval in South Carolina is $101,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 2% above the national median of $99,280.
How to become a architect in South Carolina?
The core path is the same nationwide - NAAB-accredited Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch, 5 years) or M.Arch - with licensing through the South Carolina state architects board: State architecture license via the ARE exam (required to stamp drawings). See the steps on this page.
How many architects work in South Carolina?
BLS counts about 1,030 architects, except landscape and naval employed in South Carolina (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Architect in Nearby States
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011), South Carolina and national
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
| Data | Provider | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 |
| Employment Projections | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2024-2034 |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) | 2024 |
| College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release |
| College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release (updated 2026-06-12) |
| Occupational licensing requirements | CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2026-02-22) |
| Registered apprenticeship programs | CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2025-10-25) |
| O*NET occupation profiles (skills, tasks, tools, job zones) | U.S. Department of Labor (O*NET / Employment & Training Admin.) | O*NET 29.1 (updated 2026-06-13) |