# Architectural and Engineering Managers

US SOC code 11-9041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/11-9041

Also called: Engineering manager, Principal engineer, Project director, Design manager, Technical director.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **220,260** US architectural and engineering managers, with median pay of **$171,270** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/engineers-corporate-management-ca-18701930-the-invisible-hand-redux/7D3DB86EECA34134B58121584168A625) of **8,000** from 1880, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for architectural and engineering managers: Cloud-connected construction intelligence, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=11-9041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **38.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.017** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Architectural and Engineering Managers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1852
- Latest US employment: 220,260 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $171,270 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +5.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1880 | 8,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Cambridge Enterprise and Society [1] |
| 1920 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Cambridge Enterprise and Society [1] |
| 1956 | n/a | $12,000 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [5] |
| 1960 | 85,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Cambridge Enterprise and Society [1] |
| 2000 | 242,280 | $84,070 | BLS OEWS 2000 [2] |
| 2003 | 194,940 | $94,470 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 186,380 | $97,630 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 187,410 | $100,760 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 183,960 | $105,430 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 184,410 | $111,020 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 182,300 | $115,270 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 178,110 | $117,000 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 174,720 | $119,260 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 184,530 | $122,190 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 187,640 | $124,870 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 183,430 | $128,170 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 179,320 | $130,620 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 179,770 | $132,800 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 178,390 | $134,730 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 179,990 | $137,720 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 188,290 | $140,760 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 194,250 | $144,830 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 195,900 | $149,530 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 187,100 | $152,350 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 197,180 | $159,920 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 207,800 | $165,370 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 210,340 | $167,740 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 220,260 | $171,270 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (90)

### Employment series

1. [Cambridge Enterprise and Society -- "Engineers and Corporate Management ca. 1870-1930: The Invisible Hand Redux"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/engineers-corporate-management-ca-18701930-the-invisible-hand-redux/7D3DB86EECA34134B58121584168A625), Cambridge University Press / Enterprise and Society
2. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [BLS OEWS May 2023 -- 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers (employment 207,800; median $165,370)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes119041.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries -- "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (BLS historical sources, professional and managerial wage benchmarks)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2023 -- 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers (median annual $165,370)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes119041.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [American Society of Civil Engineers -- ASCE founding 1852, Chief Engineer Alfred Craven (Croton Aqueduct office)](https://www.asce.org/about-asce/), American Society of Civil Engineers
11. [Wikipedia -- American Society of Civil Engineers (founding history, 1852)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Civil_Engineers), Wikipedia
12. [Britannica -- Frederick W. Taylor, Principles of Scientific Management (1911)](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-W-Taylor), Encyclopaedia Britannica
13. [Cambridge Enterprise and Society -- "Engineers and Corporate Management ca. 1870-1930" (38-40% of engineers in managerial positions; 1929 SPEE survey)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/engineers-corporate-management-ca-18701930-the-invisible-hand-redux/7D3DB86EECA34134B58121584168A625), Cambridge University Press
14. [Wikipedia -- Critical Path Method (CPM, 1957 DuPont/Remington Rand development)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_path_method), Wikipedia
15. [NASA -- "NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo" (George Mueller program management, 1963-1969)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4219/intro.html), NASA History Office
16. [Wikipedia -- AutoCAD (Autodesk, December 1982 launch; history of CAD in engineering)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoCAD), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia -- Primavera (Primavera Project Planner P3, 1983 launch; construction scheduling history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primavera_%28software%29), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia -- Revit (1997 founding, 2002 Autodesk acquisition; BIM history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revit), Wikipedia
19. [Wikipedia -- Procore (founded 2002; construction project management platform history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procore), Wikipedia
20. [OpenSpace -- Visual Intelligence Platform (360 construction documentation, launched 2017; 62% of ENR Top 400 adoption by 2025)](https://www.openspace.ai/press-releases/visual-intelligence-platform/), OpenSpace AI
21. [Doxel AI -- 95% reduction in progress tracking, 11% faster delivery, 16% cost reduction (DPR, Sundt, JE Dunn deployments)](https://doxel.ai/), Doxel AI
22. [Procore -- Advances Future of Construction with AI Innovations at Groundbreak 2025](https://www.procore.com/press/procore-advances-the-future-of-construction-with-new-ai-innovations), Procore Technologies
23. [ASCE Policy Statement 573 -- AI cannot replace PE judgment or accountability (July 2024)](https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2025/03/mishandling-ai-tools-puts-civil-engineers-at-risk-for-ethical-violations), American Society of Civil Engineers
24. [Bluebeam -- Max AI Plan Launches Globally (May 2026): Smart Review, Claude integration, $590/user/yr](https://architosh.com/2026/05/ai-powered-bluebeam-max-launches-globally/), Architosh / Bluebeam

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 11-9041 Architectural and engineering managers (2025: 220.9 thousand; 2035: 233.1 thousand; +5.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=11-9041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 11-9041.00, human-rated β 0.386)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI
27. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers: probability 0.017, rank 78 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

28. [ASCE -- American Society of Civil Engineers founding, November 5, 1852](https://www.asce.org/about-asce/), American Society of Civil Engineers
29. [Wikipedia -- Grenville Dodge, Chief Engineer of Union Pacific Railroad 1866-1869](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenville_Dodge), Wikipedia
30. [Britannica -- Frederick W. Taylor, Principles of Scientific Management (1911); ASME presidency 1906](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-W-Taylor), Encyclopaedia Britannica
31. [Wikipedia -- Critical Path Method (CPM, Morgan Walker / DuPont and James Kelley / Remington Rand, 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_path_method), Wikipedia
32. [NASA History -- George Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight (1963-1969), Apollo program management](https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4219/intro.html), NASA History Office
33. [Wikipedia -- AutoCAD (Autodesk, December 1982 COMDEX launch)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoCAD), Wikipedia
34. [ASCE Policy Statement 573 -- "Artificial Intelligence Applications in Civil Engineering" (July 2024)](https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2025/03/mishandling-ai-tools-puts-civil-engineers-at-risk-for-ethical-violations), American Society of Civil Engineers

### Predecessors & successors

35. [ASCE founding 1852 -- Alfred W. Craven, Chief Engineer of the Croton Aqueduct, convened the founding meeting](https://www.asce.org/about-asce/), American Society of Civil Engineers
36. [Cambridge Enterprise and Society -- "Engineers and Corporate Management ca. 1870-1930"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/engineers-corporate-management-ca-18701930-the-invisible-hand-redux/7D3DB86EECA34134B58121584168A625), Cambridge University Press

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Architectural and Engineering Managers (11-9041.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9041.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Architectural and Engineering Managers (2024–2034)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/architectural-and-engineering-managers.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ASCE Policy Statement 573 — AI cannot replace PE judgment or accountability (July 2024)](https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2025/03/mishandling-ai-tools-puts-civil-engineers-at-risk-for-ethical-violations), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ASCE — How AI Will Reshape Work in Civil Engineering and Related Professions (Dec 2024)](https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2024/12/03/how-ai-will-reshape-work-in-civil-engineering-related-professions), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Doxel AI — 95% reduction in progress tracking, 11% faster delivery, 16% cost reduction (customer deployments)](https://doxel.ai/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Procore — Advances Future of Construction with AI Innovations at Groundbreak 2025](https://www.procore.com/press/procore-advances-the-future-of-construction-with-new-ai-innovations), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Bluebeam — Max AI Plan Launches Globally (May 2026): Smart Review, Claude integration, $590/user/yr](https://architosh.com/2026/05/ai-powered-bluebeam-max-launches-globally/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [OpenSpace — Visual Intelligence Platform Launch (Sep 2025): 62% of ENR Top 400 adopted](https://www.openspace.ai/press-releases/visual-intelligence-platform/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Bentley Systems — Advances Infrastructure AI: ProjectWise AI search, OpenSite+, SYNCHRO+ (Oct 2025)](https://www.bentley.com/news/bentley-systems-advances-infrastructure-ai-with-new-applications-and-industry-collaboration/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Forrester Total Economic Impact — Microsoft 365 Copilot: 3+ hours/week reclaimed per manager (2024)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/copilot-for-work), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ENR — Procore Releases New AI Agents After Datagrid Integration](https://www.enr.com/articles/63042-procore-releases-new-ai-agients-after-datagrid-integration), accessed 2026-05-23
- [OpenSpace — Progress Tracking integrates with P6, Asta, Microsoft Project, Excel](https://www.openspace.ai/products/progress-tracking/), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.