Architectural and Engineering Managers Salary in Detroit, MI (2024)
Architectural and Engineering Managers in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn a median of $167,890 per year ($80.72 per hour) based on 8,720 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +0.1% against the national median of $167,740 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where architectural and engineering managers actually sit across the pay range in Detroit, MI, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $58.55 | $121,790 | |
| 25th percentile | $64.87 | $134,920 | |
| Median | $80.72 | $167,890 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $85.30 | $177,420 | |
| 90th percentile | $104.65 | $217,680 | |
| Average (mean) | $80.29 | $167,000 |
How Detroit, MI compares
The local median of $167,890 runs +0.1% above the US median of $167,740 for this occupation; it pays 230.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($50,740); within the metro it ranks 7th of 657 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI — this occupation | $167,890 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $167,740 | +0.1% |
| Detroit, MI — all occupations | $50,740 | +230.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $208,580 | -19.5% |
Detroit, MI has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 3.35 means the job is roughly 335% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 7th of 657 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Detroit, MI
To put $167,890 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 7th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $230,450 | 1,590 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $230,060 | 730 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $218,340 | 2,470 |
| Physicists | $188,400 | 150 |
| Pediatricians, General | $182,040 | 350 |
| Dentists, General | $179,130 | 1,950 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,890 | 8,720 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $166,010 | 7,990 |
| Sales Managers | $157,900 | 8,260 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $151,390 | 470 |
Where architectural and engineering managers earn the most
Across the 24 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $155,100 to $208,580. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $185,550 | 3,690 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $183,640 | 4,560 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $181,400 | 8,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $180,360 | 5,520 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $179,110 | 6,910 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $178,800 | 7,160 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $177,340 | 2,600 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $175,940 | 2,150 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $172,810 | 5,510 |
See the full national picture on the Architectural and Engineering Managers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for architectural and engineering managers in Detroit, MI?
The median annual wage is $167,890, or $81 per hour. That means half of the architectural and engineering managers working in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $167,000.
What do the highest and lowest paid architectural and engineering managers in Detroit, MI earn?
The bottom 10% earn $121,790 or less, while the top 10% earn $217,680 or more — a spread of $95,890 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $134,920 and $177,420.
Is architectural and engineering managers pay in Detroit, MI above the local average?
Yes, it is 230.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $50,740. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Detroit, MI pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $167,890 the metro median is 0.1% higher than the US median of $167,740 for architectural and engineering managers. Across the 24 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $155,100 to $208,580.
How many architectural and engineering managers work in Detroit, MI?
BLS counts about 8,720 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.57 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. Detroit, MI has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 3.35 means the job is roughly 335% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 3.8%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.