| Role | Hourly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Intern / junior designer | $70–100 | Production work under supervision |
| Project architect | $110–160 | Licensed, running drawing sets |
| Project manager | $130–190 | Client and consultant coordination |
| Senior architect / director | $160–250 | Technical leadership, QA/QC |
| Principal, luxury market | $200–400+ | LA, NY, SF; brand-led firms command more |
Ground-up commercial 4.5–8%, multifamily 5–8%, institutional 6–10%, custom residential 9–15%, renovations 10–16%, high-end residential 12–18%. Smaller and more complex projects sit at the top of each range. Documentation effort does not shrink with the budget.
Direct salary cost per hour × break-even multiplier × profit. At a 150% overhead rate and 20% profit, an $85,000 salary bills out around $125/hr. Healthy firms run net multipliers of 2.75–3.25.
Net revenue ÷ direct labor cost: how many fee dollars each payroll dollar produces. Under ~2.5 the firm is subsidizing its clients; 3.0+ signals healthy pricing and utilization.
A common basic-services split: SD 15%, DD 20%, CD 40%, bidding 5%, CA 20%. Adjust for delivery method. CA grows on complex builds and fast-track work.
Positioning before pricing: a focused portfolio, authority content and steady inbound inquiries remove the comparison shopping that caps fees. Firms hired as specialists rarely bid.