Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 17-3012

Electrical and Electronics Drafters

The published band from $50,040 to $120,290 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Petroleum Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Electrical and Electronics Drafters: Petroleum Engineers ($145K) , Industrial Engineers ($102K) , Electronics Engineers, Except Computer ($130K) , Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers ($109K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Electrical and Electronics Drafters publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-3012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standa…
  2. 2. Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instr…
  3. 3. Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect
  4. 4. Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations
  5. 5. Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings
  6. 6. Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems
  7. 7. Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable
  8. 8. Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems
  9. 9. Draw master sketches to scale showing relation of proposed installations to existing facilities and exact specifications and dimensions
  10. 10. Review work orders or procedural manuals and confer with vendors or design staff to resolve problems or modify design
  11. 11. Locate files relating to specified design project in database library, load program into computer, and record completed job data
  12. 12. Examine electronic schematics and supporting documents to develop, compute, and verify specifications for drafting data, such as configur…

Electrical and Electronics Drafters: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-3012 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Design. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.6
  2. 2. Writing 3.5
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.5
  4. 4. Judgment and Decision Making 3.5
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.4
  7. 7. Speaking 3.3
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Design 4.4
  2. 2. Engineering and Technology 4.3
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 4.2
  4. 4. English Language 3.9
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.6
  6. 6. Administrative 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$50,040 to $120,290
median $76,870 · ~2.4× spread
$77K
National median
↓ -6%
Growth 2024-2034
1,700
Annual openings
17,920
Estimated US jobs
Petroleum Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $145K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Electrical and Electronics Drafters

1. Idaho $81,590
2. Indiana $80,100
3. New Mexico $101,330
4. Texas $80,620
5. Massachusetts $87,290
6. New Hampshire $102,070
7. Utah $79,360
8. North Carolina $81,960
9. Georgia $80,620
10. Ohio $80,840

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
  2. 2. Petroleum Engineers $144,910
  3. 3. Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $109,370
  4. 4. Industrial Engineers $102,440
  5. 5. Chemical Engineers $125,040
  6. 6. Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230

The OEWS band for Electrical and Electronics Drafters runs from $50,040 (10th) to $120,290 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $76,870. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -6% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,700 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: Idaho at $81,590. 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.

Electrical and Electronics Drafters pay-rank #25 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

On the Architecture and Engineering Occupations median table (36 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Electrical and Electronics Drafters lands at #25, 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Electrical and Electronics Drafters is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Electrical and Electronics Drafters salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-3012

Idaho · top state for Electrical and Electronics Drafters

$82K published median

Indiana · #2 state pay

$80K · behind Idaho

Petroleum Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Electrical and Electronics Drafters · $145K

Industrial Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Electrical and Electronics Drafters · $102K

Compare Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Electrical and Electronics Drafters with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Electrical and Electronics Drafters land on the Architecture and Engineering Occupations median table? ▼
Electrical and Electronics Drafters is pay-rank #25 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Surveyors ($75K), Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians ($75K), Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians ($74K), Mechanical Drafters ($72K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do electrical and electronics drafters do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Electrical and Electronics Drafters. Leading ones include: Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standa…; Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instr…; Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect; Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for electrical and electronics drafters? ▼
For SOC 17-3012, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.6), Writing (3.5), Critical Thinking (3.5), Judgment and Decision Making (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Design, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Electrical and Electronics Drafters? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $50,040 and the 90th at $120,290 for Electrical and Electronics Drafters (2.4× spread). The national median is $76,870. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Electrical and Electronics Drafters? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Electrical and Electronics Drafters is -6%. Projected annual openings: about 1,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Electrical and Electronics Drafters? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Electrical and Electronics Drafters. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Electrical and Electronics Drafters? ▼
Idaho ($81,590), Indiana ($80,100), New Mexico ($101,330) 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 Electrical and Electronics Drafters card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-3012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Electrical and Electronics Drafters. 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