Civil drafter vs computer aided drafter

The differences between civil drafters and computer aided drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a civil drafter has an average salary of $50,923, which is higher than the $43,520 average annual salary of a computer aided drafter.

The top three skills for a civil drafter include civil 3d, construction drawings and survey data. The most important skills for a computer aided drafter are cad standards, revit, and aided design.

Civil drafter vs computer aided drafter overview

	Civil Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Yearly salary	$50,923	$43,520
Hourly rate	$24.48	$20.92
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	9,120	16,907
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Associate Degree, 52%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	12

Civil drafter vs computer aided drafter salary

Civil drafters and computer aided drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Civil Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Average salary	$50,923	$43,520
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $66,000	Between $33,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Kearny, NJ
Highest paying state	Maryland	New Jersey
Best paying company	Shalom Baranes Associates	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between civil drafter and computer aided drafter education

There are a few differences between a civil drafter and a computer aided drafter in terms of educational background:

	Civil Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Associate Degree, 52%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Civil drafter vs computer aided drafter demographics

Here are the differences between civil drafters' and computer aided drafters' demographics:

	Civil Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%	Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8%
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 civil drafter and computer aided drafter duties and responsibilities

Civil drafter example responsibilities.

Assist surveyors in the field Revit.
Submit finished plans to TXDOT QC for approval.
Develop attribute links for GIS systems database using AutoCAD.
Prepare complete plan sets for as-built surveys, topo.
Establish fix control points using total stations and GPS equipment.
Involve in the design of subdivisions and commercial sites from conceptual to final.

Computer aided drafter example responsibilities.

Clean up architectural drawings to bare walls, convert layers and add masonry reinforcements to walls, doors and windows.
Used VBA to program business tools.
Create detail blue prints for jigs to be build for production.
Translate REVIT (BIM) files into AutoCAD-ready files from contract architect.
Create PowerPoint presentations to introduce the flows of the conveyor belt systems.
Conduct field and sketch analysis to determine the most effective approach for plan development.

Civil drafter vs computer aided drafter skills

Common civil drafter skills

Civil 3D, 34%
Construction Drawings, 11%
Survey Data, 7%
Sketch, 5%
Aided Design, 5%
Autodesk, 4%

Common computer aided drafter skills

CAD Standards, 9%
Revit, 7%
Aided Design, 6%
CAD Drawings, 5%
Shop Drawings, 4%
Autocad Release, 4%

Updated January 8, 2025

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