Design Standards Manager (Reference Design) Salary in Billings, MT

This is the Data Center Headhunters salary guide.

BLS does not measure Design Standards Manager (Reference Design) as its own occupation, so this page uses Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041, broader occupation). The median annual wage in Billings, MT was $163,110 (BLS, May 2025), and the middle half earned $130,580 to $179,730. That is $8,160 below the national median of $171,270.

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Broader occupation

Architectural and Engineering Managers is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.

Billings, MT

Architectural and Engineering Managers, Billings, MT, annual wages
Point	Annual wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$108,120	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$130,580	25% earned less than this.
Median	$163,110	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$179,730	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$218,680	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$162,530	Average wage.

Architectural and Engineering Managers, Billings, MT, hourly wages
Point	Hourly wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$51.98	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$62.78	25% earned less than this.
Median	$78.42	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$86.41	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$105.14	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$78.14	Average wage.

United States

Architectural and Engineering Managers, United States, annual wages
Point	Annual wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$120,810	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$139,360	25% earned less than this.
Median	$171,270	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$212,500	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$262,760	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$181,540	Average wage.

Architectural and Engineering Managers, United States, hourly wages
Point	Hourly wage	Meaning
10th percentile	$58.08	10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile	$67	25% earned less than this.
Median	$82.34	Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile	$102.16	75% earned less than this.
90th percentile	$126.33	90% earned less than this.
Mean	$87.28	Average wage.

What BLS wages cover: OEWS includes base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production incentives. It excludes on-call waiting or availability pay, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. The on-call exclusion covers time awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. These are straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Discuss per diem, travel and relocation separately. BLS pay-term definitions.

Employment: 130. Location quotient: 0.97.

Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers, Billings, MT. Download metropolitan data (ZIP).

Pay relative to all occupations

Median for this occupation divided by the all-occupations median, same area, same annual basis
Measure	Value
This occupation, median	$163,110
All occupations (SOC 00-0000), median	$49,060
Relative wage	3.32 times

A ratio of 1.00 means the same median as all workers in the area. It is arithmetic on two BLS medians, not a BLS statistic.

Change since the prior BLS release

Median annual wage, same SOC and same BLS area code, two releases
Reference period	Median
May 2024	$150,190
May 2025	$163,110
Difference	+$12,920 (+8.6%)

Two published BLS values, shown as released. Not annualized, not adjusted for inflation, and BLS metro boundaries and survey panels can differ between releases.

What is inside the BLS pay figure

For construction and commissioning hires, separate expense reimbursements and overtime from straight-time pay. Check a project bonus on its actual terms. Guaranteed pay and production incentives count in BLS wages; discretionary nonproduction bonuses do not.

Pay components for Design & Engineering roles against the BLS wage definition
Component	In the BLS figure?	Note
Base rate and guaranteed pay	Included	BLS counts the "base rate" and "guaranteed pay".
Production and incentive pay	Included	BLS counts "incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses".
On-call waiting or availability pay	Left out	BLS excludes payment for time spent awaiting a call to work, not ordinary wages for hours actually worked. BLS on-call pay definition.
Overtime pay matters here	Left out	BLS excludes "overtime pay". Straight-time pay only.
Shift differentials	Left out	BLS excludes "shift differentials", so night and weekend premiums are not in the figure.
Project-completion and discretionary bonuses matters here	Depends on the terms	Guaranteed pay and production incentives are included. Discretionary nonproduction bonuses are excluded. Check how the payment is defined.
Per diem, travel and relocation matters here	Left out	BLS does not name these as wages. They are expense reimbursements and are not in the figure.
Benefits and employer costs	Left out	BLS excludes "employer costs for supplementary benefits".

Nearby and other areas

Hiring Market Brief

A one-page brief for Design Standards Manager (Reference Design) in Billings, MT: BLS pay, mapping and caveats.

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