Average Drafter Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Drafter salary for 2024 in United States 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 United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Drafter Make in United States?

A Drafter working in United States will typically earn around 44,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 21,100 USD to the highest average salary of 73,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
44,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary
3,683 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
21,100 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,758 USD

Highest Annual Salary
73,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
6,141 USD

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

Drafter 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 Drafter Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Drafter will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Drafter can earn between 21,100 USD and 73,700 USD on average in United States. 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 Drafter in United States is 46,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 46,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 46,700 USD.

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 Drafter salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 30,200 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 30,200 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 64,300 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 64,300 USD.

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.

Drafter Salary by Experience Level in United States

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 drafter 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 Drafter in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 24,800 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Drafter salary would increase to 35,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Drafter, the average salary would be 49,400 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 60,500 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Drafter with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 61,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Drafter with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 67,300 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
24,800 USD
2-5 Years +38%
35,400 USD
5-10 Years +42%
49,400 USD
10-15 Years +22%
60,500 USD
15-20 Years +6%
61,800 USD
20+ Years +9%
67,300 USD

Drafter Salary by Education Level in United States

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 Drafter in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Drafter in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 30,300 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Drafter in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 60,900 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
30,300 USD
Bachelor's Degree +91%
60,900 USD

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 States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD 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.

Drafter 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 United States, a male drafter will earn an average of 48,600 USD, while a female drafter will earn around 42,700 USD.

This means that a male drafter earns approximately 14% more than a female drafter for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
48,600 USD
Female -14%
42,700 USD

Drafter Average Pay Raise in United States

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 Drafter in United States is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 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 = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Drafter in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

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

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

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Drafter Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

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 Drafter is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% 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
33%
No Bonus
67%

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 States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Drafter

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Drafter in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Architect Architecture 119,700 USD
Architectural Designer Architecture 107,300 USD
Architectural Drafter Architecture 45,000 USD
Architectural Manager Architecture 177,100 USD
Architectural Technician Architecture 69,400 USD
Architectural Technologist Architecture 66,900 USD
Architecture Consultant Architecture 160,600 USD
Architecture Estimating Manager Architecture 127,700 USD
Architecture Specifications Writer Architecture 45,200 USD
Assistant Architectural Manager Architecture 157,600 USD
CAD Drafter Architecture 47,800 USD
CAD Manager Architecture 102,700 USD
Design and Decoration Assistant Architecture 47,200 USD
Design Manager Architecture 158,700 USD
Drafting Supervisor Architecture 86,600 USD
Facilities and Project Manager Architecture 158,700 USD
Facility Planner Architecture 89,900 USD
Interior Architect Architecture 95,300 USD
Interior Decorator Architecture 88,300 USD
Interior Design Assistant Architecture 44,500 USD
Interior Designer Architecture 90,300 USD
Kitchen Designer Architecture 54,100 USD
Landscape Architect Architecture 132,000 USD
Landscape Artist Architecture 74,300 USD
Landscaper Architecture 67,800 USD
Mapping Technician Architecture 43,500 USD
Mechanical Drafter Architecture 54,200 USD
Photogrammetrist Architecture 49,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Atlanta 46,050 USD
Austin 54,150 USD
Baltimore 48,350 USD
Boston 51,100 USD
Bristol 39,300 USD
Chicago 54,000 USD
Cincinnati 41,300 USD
Cleveland 41,500 USD
Dallas 55,900 USD
Denver 52,450 USD
Detroit 49,900 USD
Honolulu 40,250 USD
Houston 57,200 USD
Indianapolis 50,700 USD
Iowa City 38,400 USD
Jacksonville 51,750 USD
Kansas City 47,400 USD
Kent 39,550 USD
Las Vegas 48,300 USD
Long Beach 46,850 USD
Los Angeles 57,600 USD
Memphis 50,900 USD
Miami 45,950 USD
Minneapolis 44,750 USD
New Orleans 43,850 USD
New York 59,900 USD
Oakland 43,950 USD
Oklahoma City 48,450 USD
Orlando 41,350 USD
Philadelphia 57,300 USD
Phoenix 58,500 USD
Sacramento 48,750 USD
San Antonio 57,250 USD
San Diego 54,550 USD
San Francisco 51,600 USD
San Jose 52,900 USD
Seattle 53,250 USD
Tampa 42,900 USD
Vancouver 40,750 USD
Washington D.C. 49,300 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alabama 51,550 USD
Alaska 43,750 USD
Arizona 50,450 USD
Arkansas 47,500 USD
California 56,500 USD
Colorado 48,100 USD
Connecticut 46,400 USD
Delaware 46,250 USD
District of Columbia 41,950 USD
Florida 55,250 USD
Georgia 56,300 USD
Hawaii 48,150 USD
Idaho 44,450 USD
Illinois 54,250 USD
Indiana 51,700 USD
Iowa 49,100 USD
Kansas 47,400 USD
Kentucky 49,550 USD
Louisiana 48,500 USD
Maine 43,300 USD
Maryland 52,300 USD
Massachusetts 53,250 USD
Michigan 54,200 USD
Minnesota 48,800 USD
Mississippi 47,000 USD
Missouri 51,850 USD
Montana 44,150 USD
Nebraska 46,750 USD
Nevada 47,800 USD
New Hampshire 45,250 USD
New Jersey 54,600 USD
New Mexico 47,850 USD
New York 53,450 USD
North Carolina 50,550 USD
North Dakota 44,800 USD
Ohio 53,700 USD
Oklahoma 47,450 USD
Oregon 50,150 USD
Pennsylvania 55,500 USD
Rhode Island 43,350 USD
South Carolina 51,700 USD
South Dakota 45,250 USD
Tennessee 50,400 USD
Texas 51,900 USD
Utah 48,100 USD
Vermont 41,200 USD
Virginia 52,650 USD
Washington 53,800 USD
West Virginia 47,400 USD
Wisconsin 49,200 USD
Wyoming 43,650 USD

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