Short answer
The Nashville metro had 126 architecture offices with paid employees in 2023, employing 1,530 people at an average of $115,510 a year, according to the Census Bureau; Davidson County had 81 offices and 82% of the jobs. Metro Nashville requires plans sealed by a Tennessee-licensed architect or engineer for buildings of three or more stories or 5,000 square feet or more, and for schools, assembly and institutional uses. Check licenses at verify.tn.gov.
- 126 architecture offices in the Nashville metro employ 1,530 people on a $177 million payroll.
- Average pay at Nashville architecture offices, $115,510, is well above the US average of $98,717.
- Davidson County offices average 15.5 employees; Williamson County offices average 7.5.
- 66% of Tennessee's 4,714 architect licenses are held by people living in other states (NCARB, 2025).
- Single-family houses don't need sealed plans for a Metro Nashville permit.
On this page
This report is for developers, churches, schools, businesses and homeowners hiring an architect in Middle Tennessee, for architects and designers weighing a move, and for sellers whose customers are design firms.
Nashville's architecture offices
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 541310 (Architectural Services), for the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area (CBSA 34980):
| Measure (2023) | Nashville metro |
|---|---|
| Architecture offices | 126 |
| Employees | 1,530 |
| Annual payroll | $176,730,000 |
| Employees per office | 12.1 |
| Average annual pay | $115,510 |
| Share of US architecture offices | 0.55% of 22,805 |
CBP counts establishments with paid staff, not companies. A firm with a Gulch office and a Franklin office counts twice, and an architect practicing alone with no employees isn't counted. Average pay is about $16,800 above the US figure of $98,717 for the industry (our calculation).
Size and location
| Employees at the office | Offices |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 78 |
| 5 to 9 | 21 |
| 10 to 19 | 11 |
| 20 to 49 | 10 |
| 50 to 99 | 4 |
| 100 or more | Not published |
The Census Bureau withholds the classes from 100 employees up; subtracting the published classes from the total leaves two offices of that size.
| County | Offices | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Davidson County | 81 | 1,258 |
| Williamson County | 29 | 217 |
| Wilson County | 6 | 30 |
| Rutherford County | 5 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Maury County | 3 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
Davidson has 64% of the offices and 82% of the jobs, at 15.5 employees per office; Williamson's 29 offices average 7.5 (our calculations). The Census Bureau published Rutherford's and Maury's employee counts with its high-noise flag, meaning confidentiality noise moved them by 5% or more, so we leave them out. Two more offices sit elsewhere in the metro.
When Metro Nashville wants sealed drawings
Metro Nashville Codes' commercial plan requirements say building plans must be sealed by an architect or engineer licensed in Tennessee if any of these apply:
| Trigger | Sealed plans required |
|---|---|
| Three or more stories | Yes |
| 5,000 square feet or more | Yes |
| Educational occupancy (schools through 12th grade, or childcare for six or more children for under 24 hours) | Yes |
| Assembly occupancy (50 or more people can gather) | Yes |
| Institutional use, such as a nursing home or hospital | Yes |
| Single-family residence | No, unless the plans show an architect or engineer prepared them |
Site plans must be sealed by a Tennessee land surveyor or engineer, and seals must follow the rules of the State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners. Metro's permitting FAQ says an architect can complete the application and submit the plans, that reviewers must review larger projects' drawings within 30 days of receiving them, and that there's no expedited review. Build those 30 days, plus any resubmittals, into your schedule. Metro Codes covers Nashville-Davidson County; sites in other cities and counties go through their own permit offices, so check the rules there.
Two in three Tennessee licenses are held by outsiders
NCARB counts 4,714 Tennessee architect licenses in 2025, 66% held by people living in other states, most often also licensed in Georgia, Texas or Florida. Many of the architects licensed to design here are based elsewhere, alongside just 126 local offices. For your project:
- Ask who will seal the drawings and check that person's Tennessee license at verify.tn.gov, the state's license search.
- If the firm is out of town, ask who attends meetings and site visits, and how often.
- Compare local and national finalists on the same scope. Agree it in writing on a standard form such as AIA's B102-2017, which lets you attach your own scope of services.
- Choose on qualifications, then negotiate the fee with your first choice, the order federal agencies follow under FAR subpart 36.6.
AIA Middle Tennessee, the regional chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is the place to start a local long list.
Jobs
BLS counted 1,270 architects in the metro in May 2025, at a mean wage of $103,200 and a median of $100,050. Architects are 1.68 times as concentrated in Nashville's workforce as nationally, seventh among the 25 US metros with at least 1,000 architects. The metro had 440 architectural and civil drafters, at a mean of $75,320. EDGAR shows no listed architecture company headquartered in the metro.
Selling to Nashville architecture firms
A small market rewards precision: with 126 offices, you can research every one. The 14 offices with 20 to 99 employees and the two larger ones are where studio leaders and operations staff buy; the 78 one- to four-person offices buy through the principal. Don't forget the out-of-state firms with Tennessee licenses: their Nashville projects are a reason to call even without a local office.
Illustrative example. The company, prices and results are invented.
Cumberland Workplace (cumberlandworkplace.example) is a commercial furniture dealer that wants to be specified early on office and healthcare interiors. It lists the 27 local offices with ten or more employees, adds 15 out-of-state firms with current Nashville projects, and asks each firm's interiors lead for a lunch-and-learn. Eleven presentations lead to four specifications on projects worth $600,000 in furniture. Finding which out-of-town firms are designing in Nashville is the slow part, and Bebop researches each one and explains why it fits.
Next step: see the builders working on these projects in construction companies in Nashville.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Commercial plan requirements, Metro Nashville Codes, November 2025
- Commercial permitting FAQ, Metro Nashville Codes, June 2026
- Commercial building permit process, Metro Nashville Codes, accessed 30 October 2026
- Verify public search, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, accessed 30 October 2026
- NCARB by the Numbers 2026: jurisdictions, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, accessed 30 October 2026
- List of all current AIA Contract Documents, AIA Contract Documents, accessed 30 October 2026
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area estimates, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 30 October 2026
- Find a chapter, American Institute of Architects, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many architecture firms are in Nashville?
The Census Bureau counted 126 architecture offices with paid employees in the Nashville metro in 2023, employing 1,530 people. Davidson County had 81 and Williamson County 29. Only two had 100 or more employees. The count is of local offices with staff; it leaves out sole practitioners and the many out-of-state firms that hold Tennessee licenses but have no Nashville office.
When do I need an architect in Nashville?
Metro Nashville Codes requires plans sealed by a Tennessee-licensed architect or engineer for buildings of three or more stories or 5,000 square feet or more, and for educational, assembly and institutional occupancies. Single-family houses don't need sealed plans unless the plans show an architect or engineer prepared them. Sites outside Nashville-Davidson County go through their own city or county permit office, so check the rules there.
How do I check if an architect is licensed in Tennessee?
Search the person who will seal your drawings at verify.tn.gov, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance's public license search. The State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners licenses Tennessee architects. Two in three Tennessee architect licenses are held by people living elsewhere, according to NCARB, so a firm based out of state can be properly licensed; confirm the license is active before you sign.
How much do architects make in Nashville?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the mean annual wage for architects in the Nashville metro at $103,200 in May 2025, with a median of $100,050 and 1,270 employed. Architectural and civil drafters averaged $75,320. Census payroll figures give $115,510 per employee at local architecture offices in 2023, which includes principals and all other staff.