What are the main factors that influence a Drafting Designer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Drafting Designer's salary?

A Drafting Designer's salary grows with experience: a Drafting Designer (0-2 years)earns $65,144, a CAD Drafter II (2-4 years)earns $74,167, a CAD Drafter III (4-7 years)earns $89,802, a CAD Drafter IV (7+ years)earns $116,068, a CAD Drafter V (7-10 years)earns $135,994,

What are the highest paying states for a Drafting Designer?

Drafting Designer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Drafting Designer roles are District of Columbia $71,635, California $71,363, Massachusetts $70,412. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Drafting Designer roles make?

Salaries for Drafting Designer level roles vary by specialization: Drafting Manager: $134,156; Design/Drafting Manager: $127,300; Drafting Projects Manager: $127,290; Drafting Supervisor: $114,870; Drafting Detailer: $94,009.

How do different companies affect a Drafting Designer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Drafting Designer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Drafting Designer Salary in the United States

How much does a Drafting Designer make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Drafting Designer in the United States is $64,699 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.

However, a Drafting Designer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $73,798
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $58,282 to $69,462
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $52,440

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Drafting Designer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,462	$5,788	$1,336	$33
Average	$64,699	$5,392	$1,244	$31
25th Percentile	$58,282	$4,857	$1,121	$28

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Key Factors That Influence Drafting Designer Salaries

A Drafting Designer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Drafting Designer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Drafting Designer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $65,144
Early Career (1-2 years): $74,167
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $89,802
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $116,068
Expert (over 8 years): $135,994

Levels	Salary
Drafting ... Level Drafting Designer	$65,144
CAD Draft... Level Drafting Designer	$74,167
CAD Draft... Level Drafting Designer	$89,802
CAD Draft... Level Drafting Designer	$116,068
CAD Draft... Level Drafting Designer	$135,994

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Drafting Designer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Drafting Designers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $71,635.
California: $71,363.
Massachusetts: $70,412.

District of Columbia $71,635

California $71,363

Massachusetts $70,412

Washington $70,153

New Jersey $70,127

Alaska $70,036

Connecticut $69,144

New York $68,781

Hawaii $67,623

Rhode Island $67,080

Maryland $66,711

Minnesota $66,206

Colorado $66,012

Illinois $65,947

Oregon $65,702

Delaware $65,520

New Hampshire $65,407

Virginia $65,152

Pennsylvania $64,408

Nevada $64,032

North Dakota $63,909

Michigan $63,715

Wisconsin $63,644

Vermont $63,502

Texas $63,107

Maine $63,081

Arizona $63,043

Ohio $62,997

Georgia $62,402

Indiana $62,104

Wyoming $62,046

Utah $61,956

Iowa $61,917

Kansas $61,606

Louisiana $61,516

North Carolina $61,483

Missouri $61,470

Florida $61,218

Montana $61,082

Nebraska $60,953

Kentucky $60,882

South Carolina $60,623

Tennessee $60,461

Idaho $60,396

New Mexico $59,924

Oklahoma $59,821

Alabama $59,439

South Dakota $58,798

Arkansas $58,449

West Virginia $58,261

Mississippi $57,698

Top Paying Cities for Drafting Designers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $81,605
San Francisco: $80,711
Oakland: $79,010

San Jose, CA $81,605

San Francisco, CA $80,711

Oakland, CA $79,010

New York, NY $74,494

Paramus, NJ $73,588

Queens Village, NY $73,585

Passaic, NJ $73,523

Bergenfield, NJ $73,517

Stamford, CT $73,375

Huntington, NY $73,348

Newark, NJ $72,870

Bridgeport, CT $72,734

Vallejo, CA $72,605

New Brunswick, NJ $72,579

Petaluma, CA $72,540

Middlesex, NJ $72,417

Somerset, NJ $72,372

Santa Cruz, CA $72,288

Boston, MA $71,893

Monterey, CA $71,666

Seattle, WA $71,518

Santa Rosa, CA $71,505

Los Angeles, CA $71,486

Juneau, AK $71,317

Washington, DC $71,246

Orange, CA $71,016

Santa Ana, CA $70,845

Long Beach, CA $70,780

Anaheim, CA $70,768

Anchorage, AK $70,735

Santa Maria, CA $70,541

Everett, WA $70,528

Danbury, CT $70,300

Bremerton, WA $70,211

Tacoma, WA $69,978

New Suffolk, NY $69,977

Sacramento, CA $69,959

Santa Barbara, CA $69,888

Trenton, NJ $69,816

San Diego, CA $69,816

Brockton, MA $69,745

Fairbanks, AK $69,587

Lompoc, CA $69,422

Lowell, MA $69,369

Ventura, CA $69,357

Nashua, NH $69,344

Stockton, CA $69,338

Modesto, CA $68,865

Poughkeepsie, NY $68,723

Olympia, WA $68,600

Kennewick, WA $68,600

New Haven, CT $68,574

Lawrence, MA $68,341

Hartford, CT $68,277

Riverside, CA $68,264

New Bedford, MA $68,199

Richland, WA $68,199

Bakersfield, CA $68,108

San Bernardino, CA $68,083

New Britain, CT $68,076

Atlantic City, NJ $68,076

New London, CT $68,050

Norwich, CT $68,031

Portsmouth, NH $68,018

Boulder, CO $67,881

Portland, OR $67,791

Worcester, MA $67,785

Minneapolis, MN $67,584

Philadelphia, PA $67,494

Honolulu, HI $67,280

Saint Paul, MN $67,249

Vineland, NJ $67,235

Providence, RI $67,047

Chicago, IL $66,860

Bellingham, WA $66,782

Springfield, MA $66,730

Baltimore, MD $66,711

Chico, CA $66,549

Pittsfield, MA $66,374

Manchester, NH $66,252

Spokane, WA $65,967

Denver, CO $65,960

Albany, NY $65,656

Troy, NY $65,630

Nassau, NY $65,561

Schenectady, NY $65,495

Wilmington, DE $65,443

Burlington, VT $65,352

Salem, OR $65,326

Portland, ME $65,126

Yakima, WA $65,061

Rochester, MN $64,861

Reno, NV $64,828

Fresno, CA $64,828

Milwaukee, WI $64,770

Detroit, MI $64,705

Ann Arbor, MI $64,694

Allentown, PA $64,686

Colorado Springs, CO $64,576

Syracuse, NY $64,544

Carson City, NV $64,544

Houston, TX $64,453

Eugene, OR $64,421

Gary, IN $64,343

Springfield, OR $64,291

Bismarck, ND $64,278

Galveston, TX $64,233

Medford, OR $64,136

Fort Collins, CO $64,110

Concord, NH $64,078

Austin, TX $64,058

Mesa, AZ $63,922

Reading, PA $63,916

Phoenix, AZ $63,909

Dallas, TX $63,890

Saint Cloud, MN $63,828

Madison, WI $63,741

Utica, NY $63,567

Rochester, NY $63,463

Des Moines, IA $63,457

Raleigh, NC $63,450

Atlanta, GA $63,353

Battle Creek, MI $63,334

Salt Lake City, UT $63,314

Lancaster, PA $63,217

Harrisburg, PA $63,127

Kansas City, MO $63,062

Champaign, IL $63,049

Kansas City, KS $63,049

Fort Worth, TX $63,043

Columbus, OH $63,032

Boca Raton, FL $63,017

Pittsburgh, PA $62,991

Richmond, VA $62,965

Indianapolis, IN $62,952

Cleveland, OH $62,945

Las Vegas, NV $62,868

Cincinnati, OH $62,868

Petersburg, VA $62,771

Huntsville, AL $62,674

Lansing, MI $62,630

Lebanon, PA $62,622

Pueblo, CO $62,615

Appleton, WI $62,596

Buffalo, NY $62,570

Dayton, OH $62,551

Racine, WI $62,538

Charlotte, NC $62,531

Saint Louis, MO $62,512

York, PA $62,473

Elkhart, IN $62,473

Gastonia, NC $62,461

Billings, MT $62,445

Beaumont, TX $62,428

Lorain, OH $62,415

Benton Harbor, MI $62,402

Toledo, OH $62,389

Binghamton, NY $62,357

Rock Hill, SC $62,350

Rockford, IL $62,318

Springfield, IL $62,292

Elyria, OH $62,286

Fargo, ND $62,286

Flagstaff, AZ $62,240

Fort Lauderdale, FL $62,201

Duluth, MN $62,163

Miami, FL $62,163

Cheyenne, WY $62,117

Grand Forks, ND $62,117

Bangor, ME $61,975

Cedar Rapids, IA $61,904

Durham, NC $61,877

Louisville, KY $61,871

Grand Rapids, MI $61,859

Hialeah, FL $61,852

Casper, WY $61,761

Scranton, PA $61,684

New Orleans, LA $61,664

Virginia Beach, VA $61,658

Akron, OH $61,626

Peoria, IL $61,541

Sarasota, FL $61,529

Nashville, TN $61,483

Omaha, NE $61,483

Green Bay, WI $61,483

Baton Rouge, LA $61,451

Charleston, SC $61,438

Jamestown, NY $61,406

Davenport, IA $61,406

Tucson, AZ $61,373

Saint Petersburg, FL $61,334

Tampa, FL $61,322

Evansville, IN $61,283

Port Arthur, TX $61,283

Bradenton, FL $61,257

Santa Fe, NM $61,140

Orlando, FL $61,024

Clearwater, FL $61,004

Canton, OH $60,869

La Crosse, WI $60,869

Albuquerque, NM $60,830

Newport News, VA $60,823

High Point, NC $60,804

Ogden, UT $60,778

Corpus Christi, TX $60,726

Norfolk, VA $60,687

Laramie, WY $60,687

Rock Island, IL $60,649

Saginaw, MI $60,636

Jacksonville, FL $60,629

Salisbury, NC $60,616

Boise, ID $60,603

Moline, IL $60,571

Fort Myers, FL $60,552

Memphis, TN $60,539

Tulsa, OK $60,506

Waterloo, IA $60,467

Spartanburg, SC $60,403

Lincoln, NE $60,370

Fort Wayne, IN $60,358

Provo, UT $60,351

Cedar Falls, IA $60,273

San Antonio, TX $60,248

Greensboro, NC $60,222

South Bend, IN $60,215

Savannah, GA $60,144

Muskegon, MI $60,118

Birmingham, AL $60,112

Winston Salem, NC $60,080

Lake Charles, LA $59,924

Anderson, IN $59,911

Lexington, KY $59,892

Augusta, GA $59,872

Greenville, SC $59,872

Lima, OH $59,821

Wichita, KS $59,814

Tuscaloosa, AL $59,814

Columbia, SC $59,756

Springfield, OH $59,743

Asheville, NC $59,639

Bloomington, IN $59,594

Knoxville, TN $59,361

Shreveport, LA $59,355

Wilmington, NC $59,271

Roanoke, VA $59,271

Topeka, KS $59,154

Frankfort, KY $59,147

Oklahoma City, OK $59,102

Chillicothe, OH $59,076

Longview, TX $59,070

Melbourne, FL $59,064

Sioux Falls, SD $58,960

Mobile, AL $58,954

Terre Haute, IN $58,928

Altoona, PA $58,889

Amarillo, TX $58,844

Killeen, TX $58,824

Fayetteville, AR $58,772

Chattanooga, TN $58,753

Sioux City, IA $58,695

Idaho Falls, ID $58,682

Lynchburg, VA $58,630

Gainesville, FL $58,546

Portsmouth, OH $58,514

Little Rock, AR $58,501

Lafayette, LA $58,475

Youngstown, OH $58,475

Daytona Beach, FL $58,436

Clarksville, TN $58,429

Pensacola, FL $58,423

Temple, TX $58,418

Hopkinsville, KY $58,229

Erie, PA $58,216

Florence, SC $58,190

Charleston, WV $58,087

Great Falls, MT $58,054

Macon, GA $57,964

Tallahassee, FL $57,957

Fayetteville, NC $57,944

Waco, TX $57,931

Helena, MT $57,886

Pine Bluff, AR $57,861

Vincennes, IN $57,782

Lubbock, TX $57,757

Alamogordo, NM $57,718

Twin Falls, ID $57,660

Rapid City, SD $57,640

Jackson, MS $57,524

Huntington, WV $57,519

Greenville, MS $57,517

Parkersburg, WV $57,451

Montgomery, AL $57,440

Wichita Falls, TX $57,375

Springfield, MO $57,375

Biloxi, MS $57,343

Monroe, LA $57,278

Johnstown, PA $57,233

Sumter, SC $57,207

Columbus, GA $57,200

Pascagoula, MS $57,077

Abilene, TX $57,077

Kingsport, TN $56,909

Albany, GA $56,909

Gulfport, MS $56,890

Alexandria, LA $56,676

Fort Smith, AR $56,514

El Paso, TX $56,340

Las Cruces, NM $56,049

Harlingen, TX $55,884

Pocatello, ID $55,874

Florence, AL $55,790

Brownsville, TX $55,777

Mcallen, TX $55,641

Dothan, AL $55,550

Columbus, MS $55,166

Altus, OK $54,865

Lawton, OK $54,742

Pierre, SD $54,509

What Skills Can Increase a Drafting Designer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 3.6% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
Pneumatics (Mentioned in 2.17% Job Postings): Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
CAD Software (Mentioned in 1.38% Job Postings): Computer-aided design is the use of computers to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Troubleshooting	3.6%
Pneumatics	2.17%
CAD Software	1.38%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Drafting Designer's salary.

Ethernet: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.
Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Ethernet	$74,404	15%
Products and Services	$69,228	7%
Presentation	$68,581	6%
Analysis	$67,934	5%
Leadership	$67,287	4%
Project Management	$67,287	4%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Drafting Designer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Drafting Designers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Drafting Designer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $60,895 and $64,633).

Drafting Designer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Drafting Designer

No Diploma 0.8%

High School 24.3%

Associates 51.7%

Bachelors 21.3%

Masters 1.7%

Doctorate 0.2%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.8%
High School	24.3%
Associates	51.7%
Bachelors	21.3%
Masters	1.7%
Doctorate	0.2%

view as graph

Drafting Designer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Drafting Designer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

$58,282

Average $64,699/year

$69,462

$4,857

Average $5,392/month

$5,788

$1,121

Average $1,244/week

$1,336

$28

Average $31/hour

$33

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,462	$5,788	$1,336	$33
Average	$64,699	$5,392	$1,244	$31
25th Percentile	$58,282	$4,857	$1,121	$28

Salaries of jobs related to Drafting Designer

Salary Trends for Drafting Designer

Salaries for a Drafting Designer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $63,742 in 2023 to around $62,444 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Drafting Designer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Drafting Designer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$63,742

2024

$63,060

2025

$62,444

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$63,742
2024	$63,060
2025	$62,444
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Drafting Designer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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