Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 17-3019

Drafters, All Other

Median pay sits 47% below the mid peer in Architecture and Engineering Occupations (neighbors include Petroleum Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Electronics Engineers, Except Computer, Materials Engineers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Drafters, All Other: Petroleum Engineers ($145K) , Mechanical Engineers ($104K) , Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($130K) , Materials Engineers ($113K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

Highest-pay states for Drafters, All Other

State names lead when O*NET tasks are absent for this SOC, geography mass differs by occupation even when peer titles overlap.

  1. 1. Washington $72,800
  2. 2. Louisiana $68,470
  3. 3. New Jersey $77,840
  4. 4. Massachusetts $72,100
  5. 5. Arizona $70,070
  6. 6. New York $72,190
  7. 7. Utah $69,420
  8. 8. California $73,390
  9. 9. New Hampshire $70,710
  10. 10. Wisconsin $73,040

Drafters, All Other vs other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

Same BLS major group, ordered by national median.

  1. 1. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
  2. 2. Materials Engineers $112,860
  3. 3. Mechanical Engineers $104,110
  4. 4. Chemical Engineers $125,040
  5. 5. Engineers, All Other $122,930
  6. 6. Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $115,160
  7. 7. Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230
  8. 8. Petroleum Engineers $144,910
  9. 9. Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $106,220
  10. 10. Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $109,370
  11. 11. Nuclear Engineers $133,970
  12. 12. Environmental Engineers $107,110
Pay vs Architecture and Engineering Occupations peers
-47%
vs mid peer median $120,630
This role $63,520/yr
$64K
National median
↓ -7%
Growth 2024-2034
1,300
Annual openings
14,470
Estimated US jobs
Petroleum Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $145K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Among Architecture and Engineering Occupations peers on this card, Drafters, All Other sits 47% below the mid peer median ($120,630). Its own median is $63,520.

Employment Projections expect -7% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $72,800. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Petroleum Engineers at $144,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Drafters, All Other pay-rank #34 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

On the Architecture and Engineering Occupations median table (36 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Drafters, All Other lands at #34, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Drafters, All Other pays 47% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Drafters, All Other salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-3019

Washington · top state for Drafters, All Other

$73K published median

Louisiana · #2 state pay

$68K · behind Washington

Petroleum Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Drafters, All Other · $145K

Mechanical Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Drafters, All Other · $104K

Compare Drafters, All Other

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Drafters, All Other with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Drafters, All Other

Against another occupation

Petroleum Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Drafters, All Other land on the Architecture and Engineering Occupations median table? ▼
Drafters, All Other is pay-rank #34 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians ($65K), Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians ($66K), Architectural and Civil Drafters ($66K), Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians ($60K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What is the OEWS national median for Drafters, All Other? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $63,520 as the national median for Drafters, All Other. The published 10th-90th range is $43,420 to $99,380. Beside Petroleum Engineers ($144,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Drafters, All Other? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Drafters, All Other is -7%. Projected annual openings: about 1,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Drafters, All Other? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Drafters, All Other. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Drafters, All Other? ▼
Washington ($72,800), Louisiana ($68,470), New Jersey ($77,840) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Drafters, All Other card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-3019. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Drafters, All Other. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics