Chief drafter vs architectural technician

The differences between chief drafters and architectural technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a chief drafter and an architectural technician. Additionally, an architectural technician has an average salary of $83,667, which is higher than the $48,281 average annual salary of a chief drafter.

The top three skills for a chief drafter include autocad, design criteria and . The most important skills for an architectural technician are sketch, revit, and construction drawings.

Chief drafter vs architectural technician overview

	Chief Drafter	Architectural Technician
Yearly salary	$48,281	$83,667
Hourly rate	$23.21	$40.22
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	14,855	9,495
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Chief drafter vs architectural technician salary

Chief drafters and architectural technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Drafter	Architectural Technician
Average salary	$48,281	$83,667
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $68,000	Between $56,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between chief drafter and architectural technician education

There are a few differences between a chief drafter and an architectural technician in terms of educational background:

	Chief Drafter	Architectural Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Architecture
Most common college	Georgia Institute of Technology	Carnegie Mellon University

Chief drafter vs architectural technician demographics

Here are the differences between chief drafters' and architectural technicians' demographics:

	Chief Drafter	Architectural Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5%
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 chief drafter and architectural technician duties and responsibilities

Chief 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.

Architectural technician example responsibilities.

Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
Train employees on Revit basics and provide AutoCad support.
Work with architects and project managers to produce 3d models and detail drawings for various types of large facilities using Revit.
Prepare and administer construction documents MEP and blue prints using computer assist draw software and other computer applications.
Edit and render high quality video animation to provide the story frame-by-frame of modeling and surroundings.

Chief drafter vs architectural technician skills

Common chief drafter skills

Autocad, 72%
Design Criteria, 28%

Common architectural technician skills

Sketch, 30%
Revit, 23%
Construction Drawings, 8%
BIM, 5%
Design Development, 5%
Architectural Drawings, 4%

Chief Drafter vs. similar jobs

Chief Drafter related careers

Chief Drafter related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Architecture and Engineering Industry
Chief Drafter
Chief Drafter vs Architectural Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs