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The differences between design drafters and senior 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 senior design drafter. Additionally, a senior design drafter has an average salary of $50,329, 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 senior design drafter are engineering drawings, aided design, and assembly drawings.
| Design Drafter | Senior Design Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $50,021 | $50,329 |
| Hourly rate | $24.05 | $24.20 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,125 | 37,776 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 71% |
| 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.
A Senior Design Drafter is responsible for designing, drafting, and checking drawings, maps, diagrams, and documentation for the projects of an organization. They analyze, interpret, and explain drafts and drawings.
Design drafters and senior design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Drafter | Senior Design Drafter | |
| Average salary | $50,021 | $50,329 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $33,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a design drafter and a senior design drafter in terms of educational background:
| Design Drafter | Senior Design Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | LeTourneau University | LeTourneau University |
Here are the differences between design drafters' and senior design drafters' demographics:
| Design Drafter | Senior Design Drafter | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% | Male, 82.5% Female, 17.5% |
| 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% |