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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

17-3013 Mechanical Drafters

Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.


National estimates for Mechanical Drafters
Industry profile for Mechanical Drafters
Geographic profile for Mechanical Drafters

National estimates for Mechanical Drafters:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Mechanical Drafters:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
47,540 1.5 % $ 31.59 $ 65,700 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Mechanical Drafters:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.76 $ 23.27 $ 29.48 $ 37.47 $ 47.63
Annual Wage (2) $ 39,030 $ 48,400 $ 61,310 $ 77,930 $ 99,070


Industry profile for Mechanical Drafters:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Mechanical Drafters are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Mechanical Drafters, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Mechanical Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 10,580 0.67 $ 31.72 $ 65,980
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,390 0.72 $ 29.82 $ 62,020
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 4,530 0.93 $ 27.48 $ 57,150
Building Equipment Contractors 3,320 0.14 $ 37.64 $ 78,280
Employment Services 2,240 0.06 $ 30.67 $ 63,790

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Mechanical Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 4,530 0.93 $ 27.48 $ 57,150
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,390 0.72 $ 29.82 $ 62,020
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 1,080 0.67 $ 27.56 $ 57,330
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 10,580 0.67 $ 31.72 $ 65,980
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 120 0.62 $ 36.68 $ 76,290

Top paying industries for Mechanical Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 150 0.06 $ 45.10 $ 93,810
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 70 0.02 $ 43.36 $ 90,180
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 440 0.12 $ 43.02 $ 89,490
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers 380 0.08 $ 42.81 $ 89,040
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 60 0.01 $ 41.59 $ 86,500


Geographic profile for Mechanical Drafters:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Mechanical Drafters are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Mechanical Drafters, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of mechanical drafters by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Mechanical Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 4,750 0.27 0.84 $ 36.66 $ 76,260
Texas 3,640 0.28 0.87 $ 32.68 $ 67,980
Pennsylvania 2,560 0.44 1.37 $ 29.54 $ 61,430
Michigan 2,510 0.59 1.84 $ 33.09 $ 68,830
Florida 2,460 0.27 0.83 $ 27.49 $ 57,180


Map of location quotient of mechanical drafters by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wisconsin 2,270 0.80 2.50 $ 28.39 $ 59,060
Indiana 2,200 0.71 2.22 $ 29.04 $ 60,400
Maine 420 0.68 2.12 $ 31.13 $ 64,740
Nebraska 620 0.63 1.97 $ 27.15 $ 56,470
Minnesota 1,690 0.60 1.86 $ 32.97 $ 68,580


Map of annual mean wages of mechanical drafters by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Mechanical Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 4,750 0.27 0.84 $ 36.66 $ 76,260
Washington 1,760 0.52 1.61 $ 36.49 $ 75,910
New Jersey 1,010 0.25 0.77 $ 36.32 $ 75,550
Oregon 470 0.25 0.78 $ 36.11 $ 75,110
Louisiana 250 0.14 0.42 $ 35.55 $ 73,940



Map of employment of mechanical drafters by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Mechanical Drafters:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,380 0.23 0.70 $ 34.91 $ 72,610
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,370 0.15 0.46 $ 37.36 $ 77,710
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,370 0.45 1.39 $ 34.06 $ 70,840
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,260 0.67 2.09 $ 34.35 $ 71,450
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,240 0.28 0.87 $ 31.60 $ 65,720
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,220 0.66 2.04 $ 36.40 $ 75,720
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 970 0.35 1.09 $ 32.75 $ 68,110
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 960 0.25 0.79 $ 31.96 $ 66,470
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 950 0.35 1.10 $ 32.27 $ 67,120
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 900 0.44 1.37 $ 37.93 $ 78,890


Map of location quotient of mechanical drafters by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Drafters:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 260 1.83 5.69 $ 26.86 $ 55,880
Fond du Lac, WI 70 1.64 5.10 $ 35.67 $ 74,190
Grand Island, NE 60 1.48 4.62 $ 23.97 $ 49,860
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 160 1.36 4.24 $ 28.53 $ 59,350
Wausau, WI 90 1.28 3.98 $ 26.38 $ 54,870
Casper, WY 40 1.13 3.53 $ 25.20 $ 52,410
Columbus, IN 50 1.05 3.26 $ 27.29 $ 56,760
Elmira, NY 30 1.02 3.19 $ 26.21 $ 54,520
Sheboygan, WI 60 0.97 3.03 $ 27.20 $ 56,580
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 770 0.96 2.98 $ 28.48 $ 59,230


Map of annual mean wages of mechanical drafters by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Mechanical Drafters:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 560 0.50 1.55 $ 49.38 $ 102,700
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 580 0.49 1.54 $ 42.61 $ 88,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 690 0.29 0.90 $ 42.45 $ 88,290
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 90 0.17 0.52 $ 39.17 $ 81,470
Flint, MI 90 0.67 2.09 $ 39.10 $ 81,330
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 900 0.44 1.37 $ 37.93 $ 78,890
Santa Rosa, CA 50 0.24 0.75 $ 37.88 $ 78,790
Fort Collins, CO 50 0.32 0.98 $ 37.73 $ 78,480
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 460 0.31 0.95 $ 37.46 $ 77,920
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,370 0.15 0.46 $ 37.36 $ 77,710

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Mechanical Drafters:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 280 1.36 4.22 $ 28.14 $ 58,530
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 180 1.90 5.91 $ 23.08 $ 48,010
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 160 0.78 2.42 $ 26.27 $ 54,630
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.38 1.17 $ 26.18 $ 54,450
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 140 0.53 1.64 $ 27.27 $ 56,720

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Drafters:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 180 1.90 5.91 $ 23.08 $ 48,010
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 280 1.36 4.22 $ 28.14 $ 58,530
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 120 0.89 2.78 $ 24.74 $ 51,470
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area 60 0.83 2.57 $ 24.52 $ 50,990
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 160 0.78 2.42 $ 26.27 $ 54,630

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Mechanical Drafters:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 70 0.47 1.45 $ 38.19 $ 79,430
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 30 0.30 0.94 $ 35.60 $ 74,060
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.24 0.74 $ 33.70 $ 70,090
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 70 0.73 2.28 $ 33.42 $ 69,520
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 30 0.19 0.60 $ 32.65 $ 67,920


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023