What Computer Network Architects earn in Prince William County, VA
The median pay for Computer Network Architects in Prince William County, VA is $159,820 per year, which works out to $76.84 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, the labor market that Prince William County, VA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $157,420, which is 1.5% below the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 9,370 people working in this occupation across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Prince William County, VA has roughly 488,880 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Computer Network Architects in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $102,110 a year ($49.09 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $216,560 or more ($104.12 an hour). That is a gap of $114,450 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $127,050 at the 25th percentile and $178,420 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.1 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $76.84 an hour or $159,820 a year at the median for Prince William County, VA. Before any deductions, that is $13,318 a month, $6,147 every two weeks and $3,073 each week. After taxes the same job pays $53.74 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Computer Network Architects
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Computer Network Architects this way: "Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Adjust network sizes to meet volume or capacity demands"; "Communicate with customers, sales staff, or marketing staff to determine customer needs"; "Communicate with system users to ensure accounts are set up properly or to diagnose and solve operational problems"; "Coordinate installation of new equipment".
Job outlook for Computer Network Architects
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 181,800 jobs in 2025 to 195,800 in 2035, a change of +7.7%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 9,600 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 5.3% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree. Work experience in a related occupation: 5 years or more. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $134,050 for this occupation; the Prince William County, VA median of $159,820 is 19.2% above it.
How pay in Prince William County, VA compares
Compared with the Virginia average
A worker in this occupation in Prince William County, VA earns $8,189 more than the Virginia average of $151,631, a premium of 5.4%. Over a year that premium is worth $8,189 before tax and roughly $5,728 after tax. Within Virginia, Prince William County, VA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Computer Network Architects is $138,975 across the contiguous United States. At $159,820, Prince William County, VA pays $20,845 more, which is 15.0% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Prince William County, VA
Among the 618 occupations with published wages in Prince William County, VA, Computer Network Architects ranks number 30 by median pay, ahead of about 95% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $195,190 a year, which is $35,370 more than the median for Computer Network Architects.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Computer Network Architects earning the Prince William County, VA median of $159,820, they add up to $48,040. The result is $111,780 of take-home pay a year ($9,315 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $30 goes to taxes and $70 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 30.1%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $144,070. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 24% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $27,424, an effective 17.2% of gross pay, well below the 24% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $9,909 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $2,317. FICA totals $12,226, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Virginia
Virginia income tax on this salary is $8,390 a year, or 5.2% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 31% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $699 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Prince William County, VA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Prince William County, VA show an average adjusted gross income of $96,347 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 13.0% across all filers. Filers in the $100,000 to under $200,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 11.5%, compared with the 17.2% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Prince William County, VA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Prince William County, VA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $111,780 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Prince William County, VA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,204 a month ($26,448 a year), and at $2,438 for two bedrooms. For Computer Network Architects, a one-bedroom absorbs 23.7% of take-home pay and 16.6% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 2.1% of gross pay for Computer Network Architects in Prince William County, VA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Virginia residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,523 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $597, for $2,119 in total. Gasoline in Virginia averages $3.09 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,429.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $33,432 a year in Prince William County, VA. Subtract that from $111,780 of take-home pay and $78,348 remains, which is $6,529 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 49.0% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Prince William County, VA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Prince William County, VA: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Prince William County, VA, set beside the Virginia and national medians.
Property taxes in Prince William County, VA
Homeowners in Prince William County, VA pay a median of $4,999 a year in real estate taxes, 79% above the Virginia median of $2,790 and 60% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $530,100, the median tax bill is 0.94% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Computer Network Architects median of $159,820, a tax bill of that size would equal 3.1% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Prince William County, VA
Renters in Prince William County, VA pay a median gross rent of $2,067 a month in the Census survey, 31% above the Virginia median of $1,579. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $2,204 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $530,100, 38% above the Virginia median of $383,700. Median household income is $131,402, 41% above the Virginia median of $93,170, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 20.1% of that income.
Commuting in Prince William County, VA
Workers in Prince William County, VA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 36.4 minutes each way, 33% above the Virginia average of 27.3. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 6.1 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 19.1% of workers in Prince William County, VA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Computer Network Architects afford to live in Prince William County, VA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $159,820 that ceiling is $3,996 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,204 is $1,792 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $42.38 an hour; the median for Computer Network Architects is $76.84, which is 81% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $53.74 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 9.5 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,438 a month means $1,219 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $11,820 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $90,168.
How fast you can save
At $6,529 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 2 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 4 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Computer Network Architects pay in Prince William County, VA
How much do Computer Network Architects make per hour in Prince William County, VA?
The median is $76.84 per hour, based on $159,820 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $49.09 at the 10th percentile to $104.12 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Computer Network Architects take home after taxes in Prince William County, VA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $159,820 becomes $111,780 a year. That is $9,315 a month, $4,299 every two weeks or $2,150 a week.
How much tax do Computer Network Architects pay in Prince William County, VA?
Total taxes are $48,040 a year, an effective rate of 30.1%: $27,424 federal income tax, $12,226 FICA and $8,390 Virginia income tax.
Do Computer Network Architects earn more in Prince William County, VA than elsewhere in Virginia?
Yes. The local median of $159,820 is +5.4% versus the Virginia average of $151,631, a difference of $8,189 a year.
Can Computer Network Architects afford a one-bedroom apartment in Prince William County, VA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,204 a month against take-home pay of $9,315, which is 23.7% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $3,996 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Computer Network Architects in Prince William County, VA?
About $6,529 a month ($78,348 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $33,432 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Prince William County, VA at the 30% guideline?
$42.38 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $26,448 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Computer Network Architects is $76.84.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Virginia rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.