SOC 17-3013 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Mechanical Drafters wages by metro

National median annual wage

$71,550

10th percentile: $48,360
25th percentile: $58,080
Median: $71,550
75th percentile: $86,120
90th percentile: $106,580
Mean: $75,060

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 39,960.

That median is 40.3% higher than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A nurse attending an elderly patient in a hospital — A nurse with a patient at a hospital centre in Birmingham. Wellcome Collection. Photograph by Wellcome Collection. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Mechanical Drafters.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Boulder, CO	60	$71,990	$102,710	$161,770
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	390	$69,550	$98,310	$125,320
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	240	$63,310	$97,450	$134,590
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,020	$59,670	$94,470	$137,690
Albuquerque, NM	50	$70,220	$94,140	$134,700
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	380	$60,840	$90,160	$127,880
Colorado Springs, CO	30	$58,300	$87,860	$133,140
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	120	$52,660	$87,220	$159,390
Idaho Falls, ID	60	$52,030	$86,420	$104,100
Midland, TX	40	$53,500	$86,100	$128,990
Burlington-South Burlington, VT	50	$53,850	$84,100	$105,980
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,180	$61,420	$84,070	$124,490
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	370	$59,780	$83,550	$130,870
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,620	$56,440	$83,200	$94,260
Niles, MI	50	$44,560	$82,960	$102,300
Wichita, KS	190	$46,190	$82,590	$117,030
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	50	$58,010	$80,970	$104,670
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,480	$49,130	$80,780	$128,160
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	50	$55,120	$80,550	$102,540
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	410	$53,740	$80,510	$126,700

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Mechanical Drafters jobs in the May 2025 tables.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,620	$56,440	$83,200	$94,260
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,480	$49,130	$80,780	$128,160
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	1,300	$54,990	$78,820	$130,490
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,180	$61,420	$84,070	$124,490
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,020	$59,670	$94,470	$137,690
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	970	$47,110	$75,050	$120,450
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	830	$57,130	$75,770	$101,990
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	730	$50,760	$74,100	$130,320
Portland-South Portland, ME	570	$52,170	$76,360	$76,360
Pittsburgh, PA	540	$47,490	$69,550	$90,290
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	510	$47,990	$67,600	$105,910
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	500	$56,760	$75,360	$113,450
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	470	$51,310	$69,150	$94,000
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	410	$52,000	$78,210	$116,720
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	410	$53,740	$80,510	$126,700
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	400	$48,590	$62,890	$88,570
Kansas City, MO-KS	390	$51,110	$76,340	$120,260
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	390	$69,550	$98,310	$125,320
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	380	$60,840	$90,160	$127,880
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	370	$59,780	$83,550	$130,870

States and territories

State estimates for Mechanical Drafters, May 2025.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
New Mexico	90	$52,840	$89,940	$131,340
Colorado	580	$57,700	$85,280	$127,880
New Jersey	690	$55,890	$83,380	$121,250
California	3,640	$50,200	$82,510	$128,160
Texas	4,630	$52,000	$79,380	$106,080
Louisiana	420	$44,460	$77,730	$142,240
North Dakota	100	$56,380	$77,570	$121,580
Washington	1,690	$53,500	$76,820	$137,690
Maryland	360	$51,890	$76,740	$123,090
New York	1,940	$51,990	$76,490	$109,530
Maine	620	$52,170	$76,360	$76,360
Nevada	250	$43,010	$75,830	$123,050
Massachusetts	620	$52,660	$75,490	$108,020
Oregon	410	$53,950	$74,000	$122,470
Minnesota	1,220	$52,380	$73,090	$100,080
Vermont	70	$51,700	$73,040	$105,980
Michigan	2,030	$47,100	$72,280	$112,170
Ohio	1,790	$49,400	$70,580	$98,740
Utah	490	$47,840	$70,000	$101,020
Virginia	630	$47,840	$69,630	$94,800
Rhode Island	100	$42,070	$69,290	$96,830
Kentucky	510	$50,530	$68,880	$96,020
Connecticut	450	$42,530	$68,830	$103,380
Florida	1,540	$45,760	$68,050	$100,400
Arizona	630	$46,360	$67,410	$104,870
Georgia	820	$49,920	$66,670	$107,140
Missouri	870	$49,750	$66,350	$108,120
Kansas	540	$45,870	$65,250	$100,380
West Virginia	140	$51,270	$65,100	$99,540
Wisconsin	1,630	$48,010	$63,770	$92,260
South Carolina	640	$52,550	$63,740	$109,840
Pennsylvania	2,330	$47,700	$63,480	$95,130
Oklahoma	650	$42,130	$63,440	$92,040
Tennessee	740	$47,440	$63,390	$96,210
Iowa	630	$46,760	$63,330	$95,370
Illinois	450	$56,710	$63,320	$94,930
Indiana	1,300	$45,470	$62,820	$88,470
Nebraska	530	$43,150	$61,170	$92,160
Wyoming	60	$49,850	$61,070	$92,570
Mississippi	260	$38,520	$60,460	$105,120
Arkansas	250	$48,850	$59,960	$81,010
Idaho	330	$46,190	$59,050	$104,100
North Carolina	1,350	$45,490	$59,050	$84,560
Delaware	160	$49,000	$57,110	$84,750
New Hampshire	Not available	$39,990	$55,390	$87,070
Alabama	440	$39,630	$53,600	$89,600
Puerto Rico	320	$33,860	$53,470	$99,400
South Dakota	100	$41,760	$52,610	$68,620
Alaska	50	Not available	Not available	Not available

Other architecture and engineering occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Mechanical Drafters?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Mechanical Drafters is $71,550. Employment is 39,960.

How does Mechanical Drafters pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Mechanical Drafters is 40.3% higher than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Mechanical Drafters?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Boulder, CO is highest on this page's list at $102,710.