Architectural and Civil Drafters
Median $66,150
Occupation · SOC 17-3013
Mechanical Drafters: pay and where the jobs are
What mechanical drafters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$71,550 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $75,060
- Median hourly wage
- $34.40
- Mean hourly wage
- $36.09
- Employment
- 39,960
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-3013.
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See where your pay falls among mechanical drafters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do mechanical drafters make?
The median annual wage for mechanical drafters was $71,550 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,360 and the highest-paid 10% more than $106,580. As an hourly rate, the median is $34.40. About 39,960 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Mexico ($89,940), Colorado ($85,280) and New Jersey ($83,380). New Mexico also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for mechanical drafters looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,360 | $23.25 | $4,030 | $3,420 |
| 25th percentile | $58,080 | $27.93 | $4,840 | $4,071 |
| Median | $71,550 | $34.40 | $5,963 | $4,930 |
| 75th percentile | $86,120 | $41.41 | $7,177 | $5,785 |
| 90th percentile | $106,580 | $51.24 | $8,882 | $6,984 |
Mechanical Drafters: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$74,856 take-home in national prices
2
$70,984 take-home in national prices
3
$69,799 take-home in national prices
Where a median mechanical drafter paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 90 | $89,940 | $52,840 | $131,340 | $69,027 | $74,856 |
| Colorado | 580 | $85,280 | $57,700 | $127,880 | $65,405 | $63,468 |
| New Jersey | 690 | $83,380 | $55,890 | $121,250 | $63,826 | $58,661 |
| California | 3,640 | $82,510 | $50,200 | $128,160 | $62,375 | $56,336 |
| Texas | 4,630 | $79,380 | $52,000 | $106,080 | $64,674 | $66,635 |
| Louisiana | 420 | $77,730 | $44,460 | $142,240 | $61,567 | $69,799 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $77,570 | $56,380 | $121,580 | $63,147 | $70,984 |
| Washington | 1,690 | $76,820 | $53,500 | $137,690 | $61,807 | $57,757 |
| Maryland | 360 | $76,740 | $51,890 | $123,090 | $59,537 | $56,724 |
| New York | 1,940 | $76,490 | $51,990 | $109,530 | $58,746 | $54,434 |
| Maine | 620 | $76,360 | $52,170 | $76,360 | $58,691 | $60,475 |
| Nevada | 250 | $75,830 | $43,010 | $123,050 | $62,176 | $62,189 |
| Massachusetts | 620 | $75,490 | $52,660 | $108,020 | $58,035 | $54,876 |
| Oregon | 410 | $74,000 | $53,950 | $122,470 | $55,459 | $53,655 |
| Minnesota | 1,220 | $73,090 | $52,380 | $100,080 | $56,480 | $57,270 |
| Vermont | 70 | $73,040 | $51,700 | $105,980 | $57,897 | $59,104 |
| Michigan | 2,030 | $72,280 | $47,100 | $112,170 | $56,858 | $59,093 |
| Ohio | 1,790 | $70,580 | $49,400 | $98,740 | $56,986 | $61,424 |
| Utah | 490 | $70,000 | $47,840 | $101,020 | $55,253 | $55,888 |
| Virginia | 630 | $69,630 | $47,840 | $94,800 | $54,625 | $54,029 |
| Rhode Island | 100 | $69,290 | $42,070 | $96,830 | $54,832 | $53,610 |
| Kentucky | 510 | $68,880 | $50,530 | $96,020 | $54,994 | $60,997 |
| Connecticut | 450 | $68,830 | $42,530 | $103,380 | $53,872 | $51,995 |
| Florida | 1,540 | $68,050 | $45,760 | $100,400 | $56,703 | $54,831 |
| Arizona | 630 | $67,410 | $46,360 | $104,870 | $54,961 | $54,592 |
| Georgia | 820 | $66,670 | $49,920 | $107,140 | $53,154 | $55,200 |
| Missouri | 870 | $66,350 | $49,750 | $108,120 | $53,311 | $58,702 |
| Kansas | 540 | $65,250 | $45,870 | $100,380 | $51,767 | $57,476 |
| West Virginia | 140 | $65,100 | $51,270 | $99,540 | $52,395 | $58,544 |
| Wisconsin | 1,630 | $63,770 | $48,010 | $92,260 | $51,142 | $54,352 |
| South Carolina | 640 | $63,740 | $52,550 | $109,840 | $51,484 | $54,917 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,330 | $63,480 | $47,700 | $95,130 | $51,193 | $52,467 |
| Oklahoma | 650 | $63,440 | $42,130 | $92,040 | $50,845 | $57,881 |
| Tennessee | 740 | $63,390 | $47,440 | $96,210 | $53,114 | $57,814 |
| Iowa | 630 | $63,330 | $46,760 | $95,370 | $51,311 | $58,466 |
| Illinois | 450 | $63,320 | $56,710 | $94,930 | $50,068 | $50,089 |
| Indiana | 1,300 | $62,820 | $45,470 | $88,470 | $50,832 | $54,466 |
| Nebraska | 530 | $61,170 | $43,150 | $92,160 | $49,426 | $54,855 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $61,070 | $49,850 | $92,570 | $51,250 | $55,291 |
| Mississippi | 260 | $60,460 | $38,520 | $105,120 | $49,073 | $56,436 |
| Arkansas | 250 | $59,960 | $48,850 | $81,010 | $48,627 | $55,934 |
| Idaho | 330 | $59,050 | $46,190 | $104,100 | $47,605 | $49,852 |
| North Carolina | 1,350 | $59,050 | $45,490 | $84,560 | $47,779 | $50,653 |
| Delaware | 160 | $57,110 | $49,000 | $84,750 | $45,347 | $45,434 |
| New Hampshire | Not published | $55,390 | $39,990 | $87,070 | $46,686 | $44,819 |
| Alabama | 440 | $53,600 | $39,630 | $89,600 | $43,020 | $48,434 |
| Puerto Rico | 320 | $53,470 | $33,860 | $99,400 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 100 | $52,610 | $41,760 | $68,620 | $44,452 | $50,180 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-3013. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.