Associate drafter vs senior drafter

The differences between associate drafters and senior drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an associate drafter and a senior drafter. Additionally, an associate drafter has an average salary of $52,051, which is higher than the $44,988 average annual salary of a senior drafter.

The top three skills for an associate drafter include GD, shop drawings and technical drawings. The most important skills for a senior drafter are autocad, layout drawings, and cad standards.

Associate drafter vs senior drafter overview

	Associate Drafter	Senior Drafter
Yearly salary	$52,051	$44,988
Hourly rate	$25.02	$21.63
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	2,109	3,189
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Associate Degree, 61%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Associate drafter vs senior drafter salary

Associate drafters and senior drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Drafter	Senior Drafter
Average salary	$52,051	$44,988
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $69,000	Between $33,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between associate drafter and senior drafter education

There are a few differences between an associate drafter and a senior drafter in terms of educational background:

	Associate Drafter	Senior Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Associate Degree, 61%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Carnegie Mellon University

Associate drafter vs senior drafter demographics

Here are the differences between associate drafters' and senior drafters' demographics:

	Associate Drafter	Senior Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 56.3% Female, 43.7%	Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between associate drafter and senior drafter duties and responsibilities

Associate drafter example responsibilities.

Manage the design history of 3D part models, assemblies, and drawings using PDM software.
Develop, organize and maintain AutoCAD standards for designers to use resulting in efficient production and time management.
Update stock plans as necessary according to AMDA standards.

Senior drafter example responsibilities.

Manage the design history of 3D part models, assemblies, and drawings using PDM software.
Produce design and construction drawings electrical and HVAC departments for commercial and residential projects per applicable national codes and regulations.
Create BIM design from concept.
Detail and draft structures in Revit.
Maintain an engineering change notice (ECN) system.
Design HVAC and plumbing layouts on existing architectural xrefs.

Associate drafter vs senior drafter skills

Common associate drafter skills

GD, 73%
Shop Drawings, 13%
Technical Drawings, 9%
Autodesk, 5%

Common senior drafter skills

Autocad, 25%
Layout Drawings, 7%
CAD Standards, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%
Aided Design, 4%
Revit, 4%