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The differences between design drafters and drafting technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a design drafter, becoming a drafting technician takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a design drafter has an average salary of $50,021, which is higher than the $45,318 average annual salary of a drafting technician.
The top three skills for a design drafter include layout drawings, auto cad and engineering drawings. The most important skills for a drafting technician are engineering drawings, solidworks, and revit.
| Design Drafter | Drafting Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,021 | $45,318 |
| Hourly rate | $24.05 | $21.79 |
| Growth rate | -3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 39,125 | 32,427 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
A design drafter is responsible for creating a technical draft of the architects' and engineers' designs using various software applications. Design drafters analyze schematics and blueprints and compare the specifications to the draft, ensuring all the features' accuracy. They review structural details and perform adjustments based on the building techniques standards. A design drafter must have excellent knowledge with the engineering disciplines, as well as manufacturing processes to determine dimensions and minimize material costs without compromising the construction quality.
A Drafting Technician prepares and supervises the preparation of engineering schematics and drawings, charts, graphs, maps, and illustrations. They work closely with engineers, architects, and technologists.
Design drafters and drafting technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Drafter | Drafting Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,021 | $45,318 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $31,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | City of Detroit |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a design drafter and a drafting technician in terms of educational background:
| Design Drafter | Drafting Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | LeTourneau University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between design drafters' and drafting technicians' demographics:
| Design Drafter | Drafting Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |