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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

17-3011 Architectural and Civil Drafters

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.


National estimates for Architectural and Civil Drafters
Industry profile for Architectural and Civil Drafters
Geographic profile for Architectural and Civil Drafters

National estimates for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
101,310 1.7 % $ 29.14 $ 60,620 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.96 $ 22.81 $ 29.01 $ 36.03 $ 38.73
Annual Wage (2) $ 37,370 $ 47,450 $ 60,340 $ 74,940 $ 80,560


Industry profile for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 70,920 4.69 $ 29.34 $ 61,030
Nonresidential Building Construction 2,410 0.31 $ 30.66 $ 63,780
Building Equipment Contractors 2,400 0.11 $ 30.57 $ 63,590
Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing 2,020 2.49 $ 27.24 $ 56,650
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 1,730 0.37 $ 26.11 $ 54,310

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 70,920 4.69 $ 29.34 $ 61,030
Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing 2,020 2.49 $ 27.24 $ 56,650
Specialized Design Services 850 0.63 $ 27.90 $ 58,020
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) 1,310 0.40 $ 25.79 $ 53,650
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 1,730 0.37 $ 26.11 $ 54,310

Top paying industries for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 60 0.01 $ 50.11 $ 104,220
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 150 0.04 $ 37.72 $ 78,460
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers (8) (8) $ 36.92 $ 76,800
Telecommunications 60 0.01 $ 36.58 $ 76,090
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,280 0.05 $ 35.68 $ 74,220


Geographic profile for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

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



Map of employment of architectural and civil drafters by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Architectural and Civil Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 14,330 0.87 1.21 $ 31.80 $ 66,140
Texas 11,050 0.90 1.26 $ 27.76 $ 57,740
New York 7,680 0.89 1.23 $ 30.78 $ 64,020
Florida 6,860 0.80 1.11 $ 26.84 $ 55,820
Pennsylvania 4,680 0.84 1.16 $ 29.26 $ 60,850


Map of location quotient of architectural and civil drafters by state, May 2021


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

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utah 2,560 1.65 2.29 $ 25.73 $ 53,510
District of Columbia 780 1.18 1.64 $ 36.53 $ 75,980
Montana 540 1.16 1.61 $ 26.19 $ 54,480
Colorado 2,800 1.07 1.49 $ 31.40 $ 65,310
Idaho 760 1.01 1.40 $ 23.82 $ 49,540


Map of annual mean wages of architectural and civil drafters by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 780 1.18 1.64 $ 36.53 $ 75,980
Alaska 140 0.47 0.65 $ 35.20 $ 73,210
Maryland 1,180 0.46 0.64 $ 34.42 $ 71,590
Massachusetts 2,180 0.64 0.89 $ 32.25 $ 67,080
California 14,330 0.87 1.21 $ 31.80 $ 66,140



Map of employment of architectural and civil drafters by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 7,660 0.88 1.23 $ 31.66 $ 65,850
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,850 1.02 1.42 $ 30.95 $ 64,370
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,760 1.05 1.46 $ 28.95 $ 60,210
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,180 1.10 1.53 $ 29.17 $ 60,680
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,460 1.10 1.53 $ 36.40 $ 75,700
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,010 0.76 1.05 $ 30.43 $ 63,290
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,000 0.47 0.66 $ 32.44 $ 67,470
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 1,910 0.90 1.26 $ 29.74 $ 61,860
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 1,860 1.27 1.77 $ 32.46 $ 67,510
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,840 0.71 0.99 $ 32.60 $ 67,810


Map of location quotient of architectural and civil drafters by area, May 2021


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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salt Lake City, UT 1,320 1.78 2.48 $ 26.60 $ 55,330
Dubuque, IA 100 1.77 2.45 $ 26.42 $ 54,960
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 440 1.62 2.25 $ 27.68 $ 57,580
Provo-Orem, UT 420 1.54 2.14 $ 22.33 $ 46,440
Billings, MT 120 1.44 2.00 $ 28.25 $ 58,760
St. George, UT 110 1.43 1.98 $ 24.99 $ 51,980
Johnstown, PA 70 1.41 1.96 $ 25.52 $ 53,090
Lancaster, PA 320 1.37 1.90 $ 25.85 $ 53,770
Portsmouth, NH-ME 120 1.35 1.88 $ 27.88 $ 57,980
Boise City, ID 450 1.31 1.82 $ 24.60 $ 51,170


Map of annual mean wages of architectural and civil drafters by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC 290 0.75 1.04 $ 36.57 $ 76,060
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,460 1.10 1.53 $ 36.40 $ 75,700
Anchorage, AK 100 0.59 0.83 $ 36.37 $ 75,650
Worcester, MA-CT 140 0.53 0.74 $ 35.15 $ 73,110
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,760 0.60 0.84 $ 34.94 $ 72,670
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 220 0.60 0.83 $ 34.62 $ 72,000
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 740 0.69 0.96 $ 34.56 $ 71,880
Reno, NV 230 0.98 1.36 $ 33.86 $ 70,430
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 40 0.46 0.64 $ 33.77 $ 70,250
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 270 0.49 0.68 $ 33.57 $ 69,830

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 210 1.48 2.06 $ 23.94 $ 49,800
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 200 1.09 1.51 $ 23.35 $ 48,570
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 170 0.54 0.75 $ 25.96 $ 54,000
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 150 1.15 1.60 $ 18.13 $ 37,700
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 140 1.81 2.52 $ 24.51 $ 50,970

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 140 1.81 2.52 $ 24.51 $ 50,970
Central Utah nonmetropolitan area 90 1.64 2.28 $ 23.36 $ 48,590
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 210 1.48 2.06 $ 23.94 $ 49,800
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 150 1.15 1.60 $ 18.13 $ 37,700
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 110 1.09 1.52 $ 28.09 $ 58,430

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Architectural and Civil Drafters:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 80 0.78 1.08 $ 30.75 $ 63,960
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 50 0.33 0.46 $ 29.75 $ 61,870
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 60 0.50 0.69 $ 28.98 $ 60,280
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 40 0.30 0.42 $ 28.91 $ 60,130
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 0.85 $ 28.87 $ 60,050


About May 2021 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022