Architectural and Civil Drafters

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$66,150

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$55,650 – $80,870

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

103,700

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+5.2%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

9,100

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.

Main tasks

• Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices.
• Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on architectural designs.
• Draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings, and structures, based on preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets, and other data.
• Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans.
• Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments as necessary.
• Obtain and assemble data to complete architectural designs, visiting job sites to compile measurements as necessary.
• Lay out and plan interior room arrangements for commercial buildings, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment and software.
• Represent architect or engineer on construction site, ensuring builder compliance with design specifications and advising on design corrections, under supervision.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 9 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Mechanical Drafters

  $71,550 median · -6% projected

• Electrical and Electronics Drafters

  $76,870 median · -3.4% projected

• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $64,950 median · +3.2% projected

• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $74,510 median · +1.3% projected

• Architectural and Engineering Managers

  $171,270 median · +5.5% projected

• Civil Engineers

  $100,840 median · +6.4% projected