Average CAD Designer Salary in Cambridge, United Kingdom for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average CAD Designer salary for 2026 in Cambridge and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does a CAD Designer Make in Cambridge?

A CAD Designer working in Cambridge will typically earn around 41,300 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 20,300 GBP to the highest average salary of 64,300 GBP.

Average Annual Salary41,300 GBP
Average Monthly Salary3,441 GBP
Average Lowest Salary20,300 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary1,691 GBP
Average Highest Salary64,300 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary5,358 GBP

These are average salaries for a CAD Designer in Cambridge and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a CAD Designer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

CAD Designer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of CAD Designer Salaries in Cambridge

So we've looked at the average salaries a CAD Designer will earn in Cambridge. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a CAD Designer can earn between 20,300 GBP and 64,300 GBP on average in Cambridge. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a CAD Designer in Cambridge is 43,500 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 43,500 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 43,500 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average CAD Designer salary in Cambridge, 25% of the population are earning less than 25,800 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 25,800 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 54,200 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 54,200 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

CAD Designer Salary by Experience Level in Cambridge

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average CAD Designer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A CAD Designer in Cambridge that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 22,300 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average CAD Designer salary would increase to 30,800 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a CAD Designer, the average salary would be 42,800 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 50,100 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A CAD Designer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 55,100 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a CAD Designer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 58,800 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
22,300 GBP
2-5 Years+38%
30,800 GBP
5-10 Years+42%
42,800 GBP
10-15 Years+22%
50,100 GBP
15-20 Years+6%
55,100 GBP
20+ Years+9%
58,800 GBP

CAD Designer Salary by Education Level in Cambridge

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a CAD Designer in Cambridge based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A CAD Designer in Cambridge with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 30,800 GBP.
  • Master's Degree. A CAD Designer in Cambridge with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 55,100 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
30,800 GBP
Master's Degree+83%
55,100 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

CAD Designer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Cambridge, a male cad designer will earn an average of 39,600 GBP, while a female cad designer will earn around 38,700 GBP.

This means that a male cad designer earns approximately 2% more than a female cad designer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Cambridge

Male-
39,600 GBP
Female-2%
38,700 GBP

CAD Designer Average Pay Raise in Cambridge

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a CAD Designer in Cambridge is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a CAD Designer in Cambridge can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Cambridge for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
3%
Energy-
6%
Information Technology-
9%
Healthcare-
3%
Travel-
6%
Construction-
9%
Education-
3%

CAD Designer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Cambridge

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A CAD Designer is a low bonus based job, with 32% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

68% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
32%
No Bonus-
68%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
72,700 GBP
Private Sector-7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a CAD Designer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a CAD Designer in Cambridge.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Acoustics EngineerEngineering62,500 GBP
Assembly Engineering TechnicianEngineering50,000 GBP
Assistant Chief EngineerEngineering68,100 GBP
Associate EngineerEngineering55,500 GBP
AutoCAD DrafterEngineering36,900 GBP
Autocad OperatorEngineering40,700 GBP
Automation EngineerEngineering67,000 GBP
Automation EngineerEngineering69,100 GBP
Avionic System Support EngineerEngineering60,100 GBP
BMS EngineerEngineering61,700 GBP
Biochemical EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Bridge and Lock TenderEngineering33,000 GBP
Broadcast EngineerEngineering61,600 GBP
CAD Design EngineerEngineering69,400 GBP
CAE EngineerEngineering59,800 GBP
Ceramics EngineerEngineering58,700 GBP
Chemical EngineerEngineering63,500 GBP
Civil DrafterEngineering39,100 GBP
Civil EngineerEngineering68,900 GBP
Civil Site EngineerEngineering65,400 GBP
Civil TechnicianEngineering40,300 GBP
Commissioning EngineerEngineering60,900 GBP
Communications EngineerEngineering68,200 GBP
Condition Monitoring EngineerEngineering54,300 GBP
Contract Associate EngineerEngineering63,200 GBP
Contract EngineerEngineering64,900 GBP
Control Systems EngineerEngineering64,800 GBP
Controls EngineerEngineering61,200 GBP
Controls Software EngineerEngineering54,100 GBP
Corrosion EngineerEngineering62,100 GBP
Design EngineerEngineering69,700 GBP
Director of EngineeringEngineering123,800 GBP
DrafterEngineering40,300 GBP
Drafting ManagerEngineering74,300 GBP
Drilling EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Drilling ForemanEngineering18,200 GBP
Electrical DraughtsmanEngineering32,200 GBP
Electrical EngineerEngineering70,000 GBP
Electrical Engineering ManagerEngineering93,100 GBP
Electromechanical Engineering TechnologistEngineering69,700 GBP
Electromechanical Equipment AssemblerEngineering31,700 GBP
Energy EngineerEngineering65,800 GBP
Engine AssemblerEngineering30,800 GBP
EngineerEngineering64,900 GBP
Engineering Account ManagerEngineering74,500 GBP
Engineering Chief DesignerEngineering77,000 GBP
Engineering ConsultantEngineering86,100 GBP
Engineering Key Account ManagerEngineering90,600 GBP
Engineering Lab TechnicianEngineering59,800 GBP
Engineering ManagerEngineering92,400 GBP
Engineering Planning ManagerEngineering93,200 GBP
Engineering Production ManagerEngineering114,900 GBP
Engineering Project AnalystEngineering73,100 GBP
Engineering Project Coordinator Engineering72,400 GBP
Engineering Project DirectorEngineering128,200 GBP
Engineering Project LeaderEngineering80,400 GBP
Engineering Project ManagerEngineering84,600 GBP
Engineering Research and Development ManagerEngineering105,800 GBP
Engineering Safety CoordinatorEngineering50,500 GBP
Engineering Sales ManagerEngineering83,800 GBP
Engineering TechnicianEngineering45,600 GBP
Engineering TechnologistEngineering49,400 GBP
Environmental EngineerEngineering60,600 GBP
Equipment EngineerEngineering59,500 GBP
Equipment Engineering ManagerEngineering86,100 GBP
EstimatorEngineering51,900 GBP
Fabrication SpecialistEngineering45,600 GBP
FabricatorEngineering31,300 GBP
Facade EngineerEngineering61,300 GBP
Fiber AnalystEngineering38,100 GBP
Field EngineerEngineering63,200 GBP
Field Engineering ManagerEngineering109,000 GBP
Fire EngineerEngineering63,000 GBP
Fitter and TurnerEngineering21,200 GBP
Forestry Strategic PlannerEngineering76,000 GBP
Generation EngineerEngineering67,500 GBP
Genetic EngineerEngineering67,500 GBP
Geological EngineerEngineering64,300 GBP
Geotechnical EngineerEngineering68,200 GBP
HSE ProfessionalEngineering58,600 GBP
HVAC EngineerEngineering66,400 GBP
HVAC SupervisorEngineering62,100 GBP
Heavy Equipment MechanicEngineering34,000 GBP
Highway EngineerEngineering59,800 GBP
Industrial EngineerEngineering61,800 GBP
Industrial Engineering TechnologistEngineering63,900 GBP
Instrument EngineerEngineering61,400 GBP
Instrument TechnicianEngineering35,300 GBP
Instrumentation DesignerEngineering51,800 GBP
Instrumentation EngineerEngineering65,100 GBP
Instrumentation ManagerEngineering64,300 GBP
Instrumentation and Control EngineerEngineering61,400 GBP
Irrigation EngineerEngineering64,600 GBP
Licensed Aircraft EngineerEngineering67,800 GBP
Locomotive EngineerEngineering61,800 GBP
Maintenance EngineerEngineering58,500 GBP
Maintenance FitterEngineering23,200 GBP
Maintenance ManagerEngineering62,600 GBP
Manufacturing EngineerEngineering62,100 GBP
Marine EngineerEngineering65,900 GBP
Materials EngineerEngineering58,600 GBP
Materials ResearcherEngineering58,200 GBP
Materials TechnicianEngineering46,400 GBP
Mechanical Design EngineerEngineering71,100 GBP
Mechanical DesignerEngineering51,800 GBP
Mechanical EngineerEngineering67,400 GBP
Mechanical Engineering ManagerEngineering88,500 GBP
Mechanical InspectorEngineering63,700 GBP
Mechanical and Electrical EngineerEngineering68,900 GBP
Mechatronics EngineerEngineering72,400 GBP
Mining EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Oil and Petrochemical EngineerEngineering65,800 GBP
Optical EngineerEngineering60,900 GBP
Optical Instrument AssemblerEngineering32,200 GBP
PCB AssemblerEngineering23,800 GBP
Photonics EngineerEngineering70,800 GBP
Photonics TechnicianEngineering57,400 GBP
Pipeline EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Piping DesignerEngineering34,000 GBP
Piping EngineerEngineering57,400 GBP
Planning EngineerEngineering65,900 GBP
Pressure Vessel InspectorEngineering30,200 GBP
Principal Cost EngineerEngineering67,400 GBP
Principal EngineerEngineering63,200 GBP
Principal Support EngineerEngineering63,900 GBP
Process EngineerEngineering61,500 GBP
Process OperatorEngineering36,500 GBP
Product Development EngineerEngineering66,400 GBP
Product Development TechnicianEngineering49,000 GBP
Product EngineerEngineering68,200 GBP
Product Safety EngineerEngineering58,500 GBP
Production EngineerEngineering63,700 GBP
Project EngineerEngineering65,900 GBP
Proposal ManagerEngineering79,600 GBP
Purchasing EngineerEngineering57,200 GBP
Quality Assurance EngineerEngineering64,900 GBP
Rail EngineerEngineering67,800 GBP
Regional Field EngineerEngineering69,100 GBP
Robotics EngineerEngineering75,400 GBP
Robotics TechnicianEngineering51,100 GBP
Safety EngineerEngineering62,600 GBP
Safety InspectorEngineering45,600 GBP
Safety ManagerEngineering73,500 GBP
Safety OfficerEngineering32,200 GBP
Sales EngineerEngineering66,400 GBP
Scheduling EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Service EngineerEngineering69,100 GBP
Solar EngineerEngineering65,900 GBP
Staff EngineerEngineering59,900 GBP
Static Equipment EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Stationary EngineerEngineering57,800 GBP
Stress EngineerEngineering57,200 GBP
Structural Analysis EngineerEngineering63,100 GBP
Structural DesignerEngineering52,300 GBP
Structural EngineerEngineering64,500 GBP
Structural TechnicianEngineering42,300 GBP
Supply Chain SpecialistEngineering64,600 GBP
SurveyorEngineering47,400 GBP
Technical Affairs OfficerEngineering32,600 GBP
Technical AssistantEngineering32,200 GBP
Technical EngineerEngineering54,200 GBP
Technical Support EngineerEngineering54,300 GBP
Tender EngineerEngineering54,700 GBP
Test Development EngineerEngineering63,400 GBP
Test EngineerEngineering60,700 GBP
Transportation EngineerEngineering58,800 GBP
Validation EngineerEngineering58,800 GBP
Verification EngineerEngineering60,100 GBP
Wastewater EngineerEngineering63,000 GBP
Wind Energy EngineerEngineering66,000 GBP
Wind Energy Operations ManagerEngineering87,400 GBP
Work PlannerEngineering45,000 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Aberdeen42,400 GBP
Abingdon33,000 GBP
Armagh39,500 GBP
Bangor35,300 GBP
Belfast44,500 GBP
Birmingham44,200 GBP
Bradford44,900 GBP
Brighton41,500 GBP
Bristol46,700 GBP
Canterbury36,200 GBP
Cardiff44,300 GBP
Chester36,500 GBP
Coventry40,600 GBP
Derby40,700 GBP
Derry39,800 GBP
Dundee42,000 GBP
Durham36,800 GBP
Edinburgh43,800 GBP
Exeter39,800 GBP
Glasgow45,800 GBP
Gloucester39,600 GBP
Hartlepool37,900 GBP
Inverness39,400 GBP
Kingston upon Hull45,000 GBP
Kirkwall34,000 GBP
Leeds45,600 GBP
Leicester41,400 GBP
Lincoln39,400 GBP
Lisburn36,800 GBP
Liverpool45,300 GBP
London46,300 GBP
Manchester44,500 GBP
Newcastle45,000 GBP
Newport38,000 GBP
Newry41,700 GBP
Norwich38,000 GBP
Nottingham45,600 GBP
Oxford40,600 GBP
Peterborough39,100 GBP
Plymouth40,300 GBP
Poole36,800 GBP
Portsmouth39,500 GBP
Ripon37,200 GBP
Salisbury35,400 GBP
Sheffield45,200 GBP
Somerset45,100 GBP
Southampton41,500 GBP
St Davids35,100 GBP
Stirling35,200 GBP
Stromness35,300 GBP
Strontian35,300 GBP
Swansea42,500 GBP
Truro38,700 GBP
Wakefield36,000 GBP
Wells34,000 GBP
Winchester36,000 GBP
Wolverhampton42,600 GBP
York39,500 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

StateAverage Salary
England72,700 GBP
Northern Ireland35,000 GBP
Scotland55,700 GBP
Wales34,800 GBP

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