Solutions Architect Salary: Your 2025 Guide

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

A solutions architect helps ensure an organization’s technical initiatives align with its business needs. This exciting career offers a relatively high salary. Explore the factors that might impact how much you make below.

[Featured Image] A solutions architect is meeting with a coworker to discuss the technology solutions to meet the company's needs.

Technology is a part of nearly every major industry in the United States, making technical careers in high demand. The technology sector is diverse and has a wide range of roles and responsibilities to suit all types of workers. One important tech-focused role is the solutions architect.

As a solutions architect, you combine the organization's technical and business sides and develop technical solutions to meet key business needs. If this sounds like a great career, you’re likely curious about the typical solutions architect’s salary, what factors impact a solutions architect’s salary, and how to maximize this salary. Explore the job and its earning potential in depth. 

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What is a solutions architect?

As a solutions architect, you’ll evaluate a company or organization’s needs and determine how information technology (IT) can support these needs with software, hardware, or infrastructure. You’ll also act as the liaison between IT operations and the rest of the organization, ensuring alignment exists in developing and implementing technical solutions. 

In this role, you may perform a wide range of technical and non-technical tasks, including the following:

  • Developing cloud infrastructure

  • Implementing microservices for e-commerce

  • Installing data, network, and system security

  • Leading brainstorming sessions

  • Identifying improvement opportunities

  • Building and migrating software and services

  • Communicating with clients and stakeholders

How much does a solutions architect make?

Since solutions architects have many responsibilities, the position typically comes with an above-average salary. Average salaries, according to several job sites, range from $116,327 to $132,299 [1, 2, 3, 4]:

IndeedZippiaPayscaleGlassdoor
$134,296$116,327$128,458$152,034

Factors that impact solutions architect salary

Your salary as a solutions architect can vary based on several factors, including education, experience, location, and industry. Explore these variables below. 

Education 

Most organizations' minimum solutions architect qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology, engineering, or a related field. However, some organizations may accept a lower degree. Take a look at how solutions architect education levels can impact salary [2]:

  • Associate degree: $105,021

  • Bachelor’s degree: $121,545

  • Master’s degree: $132,940

  • Doctorate: $133,142 

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Certifications

Certifications help prove your expertise in certain solutions architect skills. They may help you be more marketable and earn a higher salary. 

As a solutions architect, many available certifications come from specific software firms or vendors. Typically, organizations will require solutions architects to gain certification in the software and systems they use. Some common certifications solutions architects earn, and the average salary you can earn by holding these certificates are as follows:

 

Experience

You’ll typically need several years of IT experience to become a solutions architect. You can earn this experience as a network and computer system administrator, database administrator, computer systems analyst, or other related roles. Once you gain experience, you’ll learn new solutions architect skills to handle your job more efficiently and hopefully increase your income.

Take a look at how your years of experience as a solutions architect can impact your base salary [4]:

  • 0–1 years: $115,783

  • 1–3 years: $125,268

  • 4–6 years: $137,278

  • 7–9 years: $149,327

  • 10–14 years: $160,573

  • 15 or more years: $170,107

Location

Location is another factor that can impact a solutions architect salary, whether due to the cost of living in an area or the demand for workers in that area. Review some of the average solutions architect salaries in large cities nationwide:  

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of January 2025 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

  • New York City: $163,236

  • Chicago: $153,375

  • Boston: $162,762

  • San Francisco: $179,821

  • Los Angeles: $164,006

  • Dallas-Fort Worth: $149,902

  • Atlanta: $148,660

  • Miami: $151,057

Industries hiring solutions architects

Because many organizations rely on computers to store and track data, solution architects impact a variety of industries. However, some industries hire solutions architects at a higher rate than others. As of 2025, the top five industries that employed solutions architects included the following [10]: 

  • Computer systems design and related services: $134,130

  • Management of companies and enterprises: $133,340

  • Temporary help services: $127,670

  • Telecommunications: $106,860

  • Educational services, including state, local, and private: $102,210

Being in the computer and networking space means the solutions architect role has a wide range of related job titles. Some related careers and their median annual salary, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics include [11]:

  • Computer and information research scientists: $145,080

  • Computer and information systems managers: $169,510

  • Computer hardware engineers: $138,080

  • Computer programmers: $99,700

  • Computer support specialists: $60,810

  • Computer systems analysts: $103,800

  • Database administrator and architect: $117,450

  • Information security analysts: $120,360

  • Network and computer systems administrators: $95,360

  • Software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers: $130,160

Job outlook

The demand for solutions architects is about average, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates 13 percent growth through 2033 [12]. This is faster than most other professions in the US and equates to about 12,300 openings annually. Most of these new jobs will come from workers transferring to a new field or leaving the workforce.

Getting started in solutions architecture on Coursera

A solutions architect is responsible for combining business needs with an organization’s technical strategy so the tech can help support the business’s success. This makes solutions architects a critical part of any IT team. 

If this type of responsibility is something you’re looking for, a career as a solutions architect may be right for you. You can gain the skills and knowledge to design architectural solutions with the Amazon Web Services AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Professional Certificate on Coursera. Upon completion gain a shareable certificate to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.

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(182,663 ratings)

1,742,417 already enrolled

Beginner level

Average time: 6 month(s)

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Skills you'll build:

Cybersecurity, Wireless Security, Cryptography, Network Security, Directory Service, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Backup, Domain Name System (DNS), Ipv4, Network Model, Troubleshooting, Binary Code, Customer Support, Linux, Powershell, Linux File Systems, Command-Line Interface

Article sources

1

Indeed. "Network Architect Salary in United States, https://www.indeed.com/career/network-architect/salaries." Accessed January 28, 2025

Updated on
Written by:
Coursera Staff

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