Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$76,870

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$61,430 – $96,730

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

17,920

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-3.4%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

1,400

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 wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.

Main tasks

• Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
• Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
• Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
• Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
• Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
• Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
• Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
• Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.

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 7 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

• Architectural and Civil Drafters

  $66,150 median · +5.2% projected

• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $78,190 median · +2.4% projected

• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer

  $130,220 median · +3.7% projected

• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $74,510 median · +1.3% projected

• Electrical Engineers

  $120,630 median · +9.9% projected