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Best Architecture Schools Near Wilmington, NC (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Wilmington, North Carolina is home to about 118,578 residents. Median household income is $63,900 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wilmington, NC metro area, the top-earning architecture-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $169,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Architecture Schools to Wilmington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer architecture programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Wilmington.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Wilmington is part of the Wilmington, NC metro area (BLS area code 48900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
$93,720
Wilmington, NC
$97,220
Landscape Architects
$87,440
Wilmington, NC
$90,705
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$169,810
Wilmington, NC
$176,151
Architectural and Civil Drafters
$66,660
Wilmington, NC
$69,149
Urban and Regional Planners
$68,050
Wilmington, NC
$70,591
Construction Managers
$103,810
Wilmington, NC
$107,687
Interior Designers
$47,750
Wilmington, NC
$49,533
Civil Engineers
$94,450
Wilmington, NC
$97,977
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Wilmington at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
118,578
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$63,900
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
45.8%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
96.4 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Architecture Programs
What are the highest-paying architecture roles near Wilmington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying architecture-related roles near Wilmington are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($169,810), Construction Managers ($103,810), Civil Engineers ($94,450). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Jacksonville instead of Wilmington?
Jacksonville, NC is 45.6 miles from Wilmington and has its own set of local architecture programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Wilmington an affordable place to study architecture?
Wilmington’s median household income of $63,900 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
