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The differences between design drafters and mechanical design drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a design drafter and a mechanical design drafter. Additionally, a mechanical design drafter has an average salary of $58,371, which is higher than the $50,021 average annual salary of a design drafter.
The top three skills for a design drafter include layout drawings, auto cad and engineering drawings. The most important skills for a mechanical design drafter are design layouts, creo, and assembly drawings.
| Design Drafter | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $50,021 | $58,371 |
| Hourly rate | $24.05 | $28.06 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,125 | 54,189 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Mechanical design drafter develops detailed mechanical equipment designs and specifications needed for assembly and modifies them to repair defects and to minimize problems in the production. He/she often works with architects and engineers either in an office or via job sites with hands-on experience in computer-aided design (CAD) software and building processes, visual aptitude, and mathematical skills. However, the demand for drafters tempered as CAD and building information modeling (BIM) technologies allows architects and engineers to perform tasks that are usually done by a mechanical design drafter.
Design drafters and mechanical design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Drafter | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average salary | $50,021 | $58,371 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $45,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Salt River Project |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design drafter and a mechanical design drafter in terms of educational background:
| Design Drafter | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | LeTourneau University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between design drafters' and mechanical design drafters' demographics:
| Design Drafter | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |