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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
47,760 1.9 % $ 30.12 $ 62,650 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Mechanical Drafters:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.07 $ 22.71 $ 28.94 $ 36.61 $ 46.09
Annual Wage (2) $ 37,590 $ 47,230 $ 60,200 $ 76,150 $ 95,860


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 10,620 0.70 $ 31.58 $ 65,680
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,630 0.80 $ 27.66 $ 57,530
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 4,480 0.97 $ 26.60 $ 55,340
Employment Services 3,560 0.10 $ 28.37 $ 59,010
Building Equipment Contractors 2,690 0.12 $ 35.69 $ 74,240

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) 4,480 0.97 $ 26.60 $ 55,340
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,630 0.80 $ 27.66 $ 57,530
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 1,160 0.73 $ 27.49 $ 57,170
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 10,620 0.70 $ 31.58 $ 65,680
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 140 0.69 $ 30.49 $ 63,410

Top paying industries for Mechanical Drafters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 100 0.03 $ 44.42 $ 92,390
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 100 0.03 $ 44.27 $ 92,080
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 40 0.04 $ 43.07 $ 89,590
Management of Companies and Enterprises 630 0.02 $ 42.52 $ 88,450
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 40 0.03 $ 42.02 $ 87,400


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 2021


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 4,280 0.26 0.76 $ 34.40 $ 71,550
Texas 3,600 0.29 0.87 $ 30.75 $ 63,960
Pennsylvania 3,010 0.54 1.59 $ 27.60 $ 57,400
Wisconsin 2,490 0.90 2.67 $ 27.33 $ 56,840
Florida 2,320 0.27 0.80 $ 30.50 $ 63,430


Map of location quotient of mechanical drafters by state, May 2021


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 2,490 0.90 2.67 $ 27.33 $ 56,840
Indiana 2,030 0.68 2.01 $ 27.80 $ 57,820
Maine 380 0.64 1.88 $ 30.00 $ 62,400
Missouri 1,690 0.62 1.83 $ 27.28 $ 56,750
Maryland 1,570 0.62 1.82 $ 34.28 $ 71,310


Map of annual mean wages of mechanical drafters by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Mechanical Drafters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 370 0.21 0.61 $ 36.79 $ 76,520
Vermont 70 0.24 0.72 $ 35.83 $ 74,520
New Jersey 970 0.25 0.74 $ 35.28 $ 73,390
Rhode Island 80 0.17 0.51 $ 35.28 $ 73,390
California 4,280 0.26 0.76 $ 34.40 $ 71,550



Map of employment of mechanical drafters by area, May 2021


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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,660 0.19 0.56 $ 35.78 $ 74,430
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,370 0.24 0.71 $ 31.31 $ 65,110
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,260 0.44 1.29 $ 33.92 $ 70,560
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,220 0.29 0.85 $ 30.35 $ 63,130
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,100 0.41 1.22 $ 30.35 $ 63,120
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,040 0.58 1.70 $ 32.09 $ 66,740
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,030 0.29 0.85 $ 29.13 $ 60,590
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 960 0.77 2.26 $ 34.48 $ 71,710
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 950 0.37 1.09 $ 32.25 $ 67,080
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 890 1.13 3.34 $ 27.40 $ 56,990


Map of location quotient of mechanical drafters by area, May 2021


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)
Columbus, IN 100 2.09 6.17 $ 28.83 $ 59,960
Wausau, WI 140 2.09 6.16 $ 25.09 $ 52,190
Sheboygan, WI 110 1.83 5.41 $ 27.43 $ 57,050
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 240 1.76 5.20 $ 26.36 $ 54,830
Fond du Lac, WI 70 1.62 4.78 $ 31.39 $ 65,300
Grand Island, NE 60 1.56 4.60 $ 22.94 $ 47,710
Appleton, WI 160 1.34 3.96 $ 29.87 $ 62,130
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 890 1.13 3.34 $ 27.40 $ 56,990
Janesville-Beloit, WI 70 1.07 3.16 $ 29.29 $ 60,920
California-Lexington Park, MD 50 1.02 3.00 $ 29.73 $ 61,830


Map of annual mean wages of mechanical drafters by area, May 2021


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 540 0.51 1.50 $ 50.26 $ 104,540
Corpus Christi, TX 50 0.27 0.79 $ 43.61 $ 90,720
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 110 0.22 0.65 $ 39.71 $ 82,590
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 70 0.46 1.35 $ 39.61 $ 82,390
Lake Charles, LA 40 0.47 1.38 $ 39.11 $ 81,350
Trenton, NJ 60 0.27 0.80 $ 38.10 $ 79,250
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 450 0.20 0.59 $ 37.54 $ 78,080
Boulder, CO 90 0.50 1.48 $ 36.42 $ 75,750
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,660 0.19 0.56 $ 35.78 $ 74,430
New Haven, CT 60 0.21 0.61 $ 35.22 $ 73,250

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 270 1.31 3.86 $ 28.11 $ 58,470
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 160 0.91 2.70 $ 23.53 $ 48,950
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 140 0.56 1.65 $ 24.60 $ 51,160
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 140 0.71 2.09 $ 25.83 $ 53,720
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.37 1.09 $ 25.14 $ 52,300

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)
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 270 1.31 3.86 $ 28.11 $ 58,470
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 110 1.23 3.62 $ 20.96 $ 43,590
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area 70 0.93 2.74 $ 23.01 $ 47,850
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 160 0.91 2.70 $ 23.53 $ 48,950
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 110 0.83 2.44 $ 24.51 $ 50,990

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)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.38 1.11 $ 36.45 $ 75,810
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 40 0.36 1.05 $ 31.51 $ 65,540
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 30 0.36 1.07 $ 29.82 $ 62,020
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 50 0.53 1.56 $ 29.38 $ 61,110
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 120 0.73 2.15 $ 29.33 $ 61,010


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.

(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