Average Mechanical Drafter Salary in Panama for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Mechanical Drafter salary for 2026 in Panama 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 Panamanian balboa. To keep things simple, we are using the PAB currency code instead of the currency symbol B/..

How Much Does a Mechanical Drafter Make in Panama?

A Mechanical Drafter working in Panama will typically earn around 12,620 PAB per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 6,960 PAB to the highest average salary of 23,380 PAB.

Average Annual Salary12,620 PAB
Average Monthly Salary1,051 PAB
Average Lowest Salary6,960 PAB
Lowest Monthly Salary580 PAB
Average Highest Salary23,380 PAB
Highest Monthly Salary1,948 PAB

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

Mechanical 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 Mechanical Drafter Salaries in Panama

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Mechanical Drafter can earn between 6,960 PAB and 23,380 PAB on average in Panama. 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 Mechanical Drafter in Panama is 13,100 PAB. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 13,100 PAB, and 50% of the population earn more than 13,100 PAB.

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 Mechanical Drafter salary in Panama, 25% of the population are earning less than 8,100 PAB while 75% of the population earn more than 8,100 PAB.

75% of the population earn less than 21,540 PAB, and 25% of the population earn more than 21,540 PAB.

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.

Mechanical Drafter Salary by Experience Level in Panama

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 Mechanical 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 Mechanical Drafter in Panama that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 7,620 PAB.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Mechanical Drafter salary would increase to 7,820 PAB.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Mechanical Drafter, the average salary would be 12,580 PAB.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 15,920 PAB.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Mechanical Drafter with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 18,280 PAB.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Mechanical Drafter with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 20,940 PAB.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
7,620 PAB
2-5 Years+34%
7,820 PAB
5-10 Years+48%
12,580 PAB
10-15 Years+22%
15,920 PAB
15-20 Years+9%
18,280 PAB
20+ Years+8%
20,940 PAB

Mechanical Drafter Salary by Education Level in Panama

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 Mechanical Drafter in Panama 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 Mechanical Drafter in Panama with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 10,100 PAB.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Mechanical Drafter in Panama with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 17,620 PAB.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma-
10,100 PAB
Bachelor's Degree+93%
17,620 PAB

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 Panama is around 10,600 to 31,800 PAB 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.

Mechanical 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 Panama, a male mechanical drafter will earn an average of 14,660 PAB, while a female mechanical drafter will earn around 13,780 PAB.

This means that a male mechanical drafter earns approximately 6% more than a female mechanical drafter for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Panama

Male-
14,660 PAB
Female-6%
13,780 PAB

Mechanical Drafter Average Pay Raise in Panama

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 Mechanical Drafter in Panama is around 9% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Panama is around 7% every 19 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 = ( 9 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Mechanical Drafter in Panama can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Panama for 2026

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

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

Banking-
5%
Energy-
1%
Information Technology-
6%
Healthcare-
2%
Travel-
7%
Construction-
3%
Education-
8%

Mechanical Drafter Bonus and Incentive Rates in Panama

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 Mechanical Drafter is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% 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-
31%
No Bonus-
69%

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 Panama earn approximately 4% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
27,040 PAB
Private Sector-4%
26,020 PAB

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Mechanical Drafter

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

Job TitleCategorySalary
ArchitectArchitecture32,020 PAB
Architectural DesignerArchitecture27,620 PAB
Architectural DrafterArchitecture10,980 PAB
Architectural ManagerArchitecture46,840 PAB
Architectural TechnicianArchitecture15,300 PAB
Architectural TechnologistArchitecture15,760 PAB
Architecture ConsultantArchitecture45,200 PAB
Architecture Estimating ManagerArchitecture36,940 PAB
Architecture Specifications WriterArchitecture10,080 PAB
Assistant Architectural ManagerArchitecture40,040 PAB
CAD DrafterArchitecture13,060 PAB
CAD ManagerArchitecture26,100 PAB
Design ManagerArchitecture36,720 PAB
Design and Decoration AssistantArchitecture13,900 PAB
DrafterArchitecture9,940 PAB
Drafting SupervisorArchitecture21,020 PAB
Facilities and Project ManagerArchitecture42,320 PAB
Facility PlannerArchitecture20,460 PAB
Interior ArchitectArchitecture24,280 PAB
Interior DecoratorArchitecture22,420 PAB
Interior Design AssistantArchitecture12,520 PAB
Interior DesignerArchitecture27,020 PAB
Kitchen DesignerArchitecture15,580 PAB
Landscape ArchitectArchitecture34,360 PAB
Landscape ArtistArchitecture19,020 PAB
LandscaperArchitecture18,780 PAB
Mapping TechnicianArchitecture12,840 PAB
PhotogrammetristArchitecture13,540 PAB

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