Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Median $76,870
Occupation · SOC 17-3011
Architectural and Civil Drafters: pay and where the jobs are
What architectural and civil drafters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$66,150 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,740
- Median hourly wage
- $31.80
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.01
- Employment
- 103,700
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-3011.
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See where your pay falls among architectural and civil drafters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do architectural and civil drafters make?
The median annual wage for architectural and civil drafters was $66,150 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,260 and the highest-paid 10% more than $99,710. As an hourly rate, the median is $31.80. About 103,700 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($97,880), Massachusetts ($76,990) and California ($76,520). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for architectural and civil 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 | $46,260 | $22.24 | $3,855 | $3,279 |
| 25th percentile | $55,650 | $26.76 | $4,638 | $3,908 |
| Median | $66,150 | $31.80 | $5,513 | $4,611 |
| 75th percentile | $80,870 | $38.88 | $6,739 | $5,477 |
| 90th percentile | $99,710 | $47.94 | $8,309 | $6,581 |
Architectural and Civil Drafters: pay by state
52 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
$65,820 take-home in national prices
2
$62,617 take-home in national prices
3
$60,904 take-home in national prices
Where a median architectural and civil drafter paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 370 | $97,880 | $67,850 | $120,190 | $72,337 | $65,820 |
| Massachusetts | 2,660 | $76,990 | $56,850 | $102,660 | $59,009 | $55,797 |
| California | 11,400 | $76,520 | $49,850 | $114,600 | $58,771 | $53,081 |
| Colorado | 3,570 | $76,370 | $48,980 | $107,990 | $59,568 | $57,804 |
| Connecticut | 810 | $76,290 | $51,220 | $90,590 | $58,673 | $56,628 |
| New York | 7,380 | $76,260 | $49,390 | $113,400 | $58,597 | $54,296 |
| Maryland | 910 | $75,180 | $48,670 | $103,690 | $58,514 | $55,749 |
| Georgia | 3,970 | $74,940 | $46,530 | $108,610 | $58,559 | $60,814 |
| Oregon | 1,490 | $74,000 | $57,020 | $98,410 | $55,459 | $53,655 |
| Delaware | 290 | $73,040 | $48,810 | $88,020 | $56,442 | $56,550 |
| Washington | 2,530 | $73,000 | $55,990 | $102,180 | $59,173 | $55,295 |
| Rhode Island | 240 | $71,700 | $52,000 | $105,650 | $56,410 | $55,153 |
| Minnesota | 1,930 | $70,680 | $52,000 | $98,110 | $54,960 | $55,728 |
| Tennessee | 1,310 | $69,220 | $45,050 | $98,020 | $57,526 | $62,617 |
| Nevada | 1,100 | $67,000 | $45,570 | $102,650 | $55,965 | $55,976 |
| Maine | 440 | $66,200 | $48,450 | $93,810 | $52,250 | $53,838 |
| Montana | 600 | $65,750 | $48,810 | $84,480 | $52,656 | $55,635 |
| West Virginia | 330 | $65,640 | $40,520 | $100,710 | $52,805 | $59,001 |
| New Hampshire | 400 | $65,300 | $52,740 | $90,710 | $54,649 | $52,463 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,370 | $64,800 | $46,740 | $96,680 | $52,212 | $53,511 |
| Arizona | 2,120 | $64,750 | $44,930 | $99,450 | $52,982 | $52,625 |
| North Dakota | 380 | $64,720 | $47,430 | $92,820 | $54,180 | $60,904 |
| South Carolina | 1,170 | $64,680 | $46,410 | $100,970 | $52,177 | $55,656 |
| Utah | 1,820 | $64,290 | $48,290 | $96,270 | $51,343 | $51,933 |
| Iowa | 980 | $64,220 | $45,760 | $102,060 | $51,992 | $59,242 |
| Wyoming | 200 | $63,730 | $51,080 | $78,470 | $53,387 | $57,597 |
| Hawaii | 610 | $63,510 | $48,940 | $95,170 | $49,870 | $45,356 |
| Virginia | 2,600 | $63,450 | $47,170 | $93,970 | $50,328 | $49,778 |
| Texas | 11,710 | $63,320 | $44,950 | $100,350 | $53,058 | $54,666 |
| New Jersey | 2,280 | $62,960 | $44,700 | $96,120 | $50,383 | $46,306 |
| Wisconsin | 2,200 | $62,930 | $48,840 | $96,830 | $50,517 | $53,687 |
| North Carolina | 2,680 | $62,750 | $42,790 | $95,540 | $50,605 | $53,649 |
| Florida | 7,530 | $62,640 | $43,680 | $95,150 | $52,511 | $50,778 |
| Arkansas | 980 | $62,420 | $49,880 | $81,490 | $50,513 | $58,102 |
| Kansas | 630 | $62,220 | $41,950 | $86,380 | $49,502 | $54,960 |
| Oklahoma | 1,260 | $62,140 | $43,170 | $91,330 | $49,859 | $56,759 |
| Missouri | 2,270 | $61,940 | $44,760 | $90,200 | $49,975 | $55,028 |
| Idaho | 1,010 | $61,840 | $45,490 | $97,080 | $49,699 | $52,044 |
| Nebraska | 850 | $61,550 | $46,580 | $87,260 | $49,714 | $55,175 |
| Ohio | 2,860 | $61,450 | $44,700 | $87,160 | $50,309 | $54,227 |
| Louisiana | 1,040 | $61,010 | $43,700 | $107,130 | $49,757 | $56,410 |
| Vermont | 230 | $61,000 | $47,410 | $78,930 | $49,584 | $50,617 |
| Kentucky | 870 | $60,120 | $38,780 | $86,530 | $48,500 | $53,794 |
| Indiana | 2,240 | $60,000 | $43,430 | $93,560 | $48,650 | $52,127 |
| Mississippi | 330 | $59,920 | $42,740 | $81,010 | $48,661 | $55,962 |
| Michigan | 2,100 | $58,330 | $40,390 | $90,750 | $46,820 | $48,661 |
| Illinois | 1,310 | $58,240 | $45,760 | $88,040 | $46,238 | $46,257 |
| Alabama | 1,010 | $57,100 | $39,040 | $77,630 | $45,678 | $51,426 |
| Guam | 70 | $56,710 | $31,490 | $63,990 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 460 | $52,470 | $41,070 | $72,940 | $44,340 | $50,053 |
| New Mexico | 690 | $50,230 | $42,560 | $81,000 | $41,345 | $44,837 |
| Puerto Rico | 690 | $44,720 | $31,920 | $58,990 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-3011. *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.