Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for design engineers/drafter in the United States
Design engineer/drafter job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected design engineer/drafter job growth rate is -3% from 2018-2028.
About -6,700 new jobs for design engineers/drafter are projected over the next decade.
Design engineer/drafter salaries have increased 7% for design engineers/drafter in the last 5 years.
There are over 12,865 design engineers/drafter currently employed in the United States.
There are 41,746 active design engineer/drafter job openings in the US.
The average design engineer/drafter salary is $51,518.
Are design engineer/drafter jobs in demand?
Design engineer/drafter job and salary trends over time
Design engineer/drafter jobs over time
Design engineer/drafter job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,865 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 13,905 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14,872 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 15,130 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 15,674 | 0.00% |
Average design engineer/drafter salary over time
Design engineer/drafter salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $51,518 | $24.77 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $50,448 | $24.25 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $49,440 | $23.77 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $48,742 | $23.43 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $48,167 | $23.16 | +1.8% |
Design engineer/drafter jobs by state
Most common states for design engineers/drafter
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 76 | 11% |
| 2 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 396 | 10% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 635 | 9% |
| 4 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,207 | 8% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 363 | 7% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 51 | 7% |
| 7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 46 | 7% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 475 | 6% |
| 9 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 445 | 6% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 317 | 6% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 188 | 6% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 176 | 6% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 83 | 6% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 62 | 6% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 44 | 6% |
| 16 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 35 | 6% |
| 17 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 521 | 5% |
| 18 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 454 | 5% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 55 | 5% |
| 20 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 52 | 5% |
Most common cities for design engineers/drafter
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennesaw | 1 | 3% | $53,962 |
| 2 | Lenexa | 1 | 2% | $49,060 |
| 3 | Madison | 1 | 0% | $50,640 |
Design Engineer/Drafter job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of design engineer/drafter experts
Bryant Harrison
InstructorMurray State University
Design Engineering Technology
What skills stand out on Design Engineer/Drafter resumes?
Bryant Harrison: Design Engineers should be able to think creatively and be prepared to use software to solve problems. Students who have acquired certifications in design software have shown some level of aptitude toward using that software to create and design engineering solutions.
Philip Horton
Interim School Director, Clinical Assistant ProfessorArizona State University
The Design School, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Design Engineers/Drafter?
Philip Horton: I think there will be a few enduring impacts.
One impact is that there has been a bit of a slow down in the market for a number of firms, due to the economic impacts of the pandemic. But an imminent stimulus package will hopefully provide a fairly quick course correction there.
More enduring is that much of the professional world has learned to work remotely -- at-scale -- over the last year. So how we work and collaborate on projects will continue to transform beyond the pandemic.
Also, public spaces, offices, restaurants, and retail have all been impacted by the pandemic. Many have made tactical changes to the designs of their physical environments and to their services. These responses, and uncertainty about future public health concerns, will change the way we design spaces and services going forward.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Design Engineer/Drafter job market given the pandemic?
Dan Rodenbaugh: Random thoughts regarding the future workforce in engineering related occupations:
This pandemic has shown that certain occupations lend themselves to telecommuting (working from home). I would think that many aspects of CAD/Engineering Tech work could be done from home - assuming the technology available to the teleworker lends itself to that: high-speed internet, computer equipment at home capable of running those software programs, etc.
One drawback re: working from home would be IT security. I would think that engineering firms would be concerned about theft of intellectual property, industrial espionage, etc. When someone is working from home, their IT security would not be comparable to working in an office.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Design Engineers/Drafter in the next 3-5 years?
Dan Rodenbaugh: Personal computers and internet, better off-site interaction.