Average drafting and design major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$61,545

$37,00010%

$61,545Median

$102,00090%

What is the average drafting and design major salary in the US?

Drafting and design major graduates in America make, on average, $61,545 a year or $29.59 per hour.The top 10 percent make over $102,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent make under $37,000 per year.professional companies and technology companies have the most job opportunities for drafting and design majors.California, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey are some of the states with the best salaries for drafting and design major graduates in the US.

Best paying cities

$79,284

$69,503

$68,629

Average drafting and design salary by company

In every industry, there is a range of salaries that a drafting and design major graduate makes.professional companies and technology companies are the best when it comes to the number of employment opportunities.Meta and Apple are the best paying companies for drafting and design major graduates.Companies like VMware and Texas Instruments also pay high salaries to drafting and design major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average drafting and design salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$114,013
2	2.Apple	4.8	$103,720
3	3.VMware	4.8	$86,220
4	4.Texas Instruments	4.6	$85,122
5	5.Harley-Davidson	4.3	$81,929
6	6.Oracle	4.6	$78,439
7	7.TechnipFMC	4.8	$78,304
8	8.RH	4.3	$77,227
9	9.Navistar	4.7	$77,222
10	10.Salesforce	4.8	$77,220
11	11.Splunk	4.7	$76,988
12	12.Westinghouse Appliances Australia	4.6	$76,886
13	13.American Express	4.8	$76,405
14	14.Corning Incorporated	4.5	$75,773
15	15.Baker Hughes	4.9	$75,767
16	16.Autodesk	4.5	$74,793
17	17.John Deere	4.5	$73,784
18	18.Intergraph	4.7	$73,758
19	19.NIC	4.2	$73,590
20	20.Dana Incorporated	4.8	$73,255

Average drafting and design major salary by city

As a drafting and design major graduate in the U.S., you can expect to earn on average $61,545 per year or $29.59 per hour.San Francisco, CA reports the highest salaries for drafting and design major graduates at $79,284 per year.The San Francisco, CA average entry-level salary for drafting and design majors is $44,000.Washington, DC, Des Moines, WA, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Baltimore, MD, and Albany, OR all pay above-average salaries for drafting and design major graduates.The highest earning states when it comes to salaries for drafting and design major graduates are California, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.Florida, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, and Nebraska are at the bottom for competitive pay.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average drafting and design salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$79,284	$42k $107k
2	Washington, DC	$69,503	$42k $107k
3	Des Moines, WA	$68,629	$42k $107k
4	Boston, MA	$67,503	$42k $107k
5	New York, NY	$66,196	$42k $107k
6	Baltimore, MD	$64,314	$42k $107k
7	Albany, OR	$64,070	$42k $107k
8	Philadelphia, PA	$61,737	$42k $107k
9	Chicago, IL	$61,435	$42k $107k
10	Phoenix, AZ	$61,266	$42k $107k
11	Detroit, MI	$60,460	$42k $107k
12	Richmond, VA	$60,457	$42k $107k
13	Cleveland, OH	$60,304	$42k $107k
14	San Antonio, TX	$59,939	$42k $107k
15	Las Vegas, NV	$59,247	$42k $107k
16	Denver, CO	$58,348	$42k $107k
17	Raleigh, NC	$58,123	$42k $107k
18	Saint Paul, MN	$57,898	$42k $107k
19	Salt Lake City, UT	$57,217	$42k $107k
20	Portland, ME	$56,221	$42k $107k

Average drafting and design major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where drafting and design majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Drafting and design major average salary by state

State	Average drafting and design major salary	Average hourly rate
California	$73,685	$35.43
Washington	$68,126	$32.75
Massachusetts	$67,590	$32.50
New York	$66,022	$31.74
New Jersey	$65,725	$31.60
Maryland	$64,221	$30.88
Oregon	$63,879	$30.71
West Virginia	$63,861	$30.70
Connecticut	$63,740	$30.64
Rhode Island	$62,416	$30.01
Delaware	$61,868	$29.74
Pennsylvania	$61,228	$29.44
Arizona	$61,154	$29.40
Illinois	$61,081	$29.37
Alaska	$60,828	$29.24
New Hampshire	$60,726	$29.20
Virginia	$60,570	$29.12
Michigan	$60,227	$28.96
Vermont	$60,084	$28.89
New Mexico	$59,904	$28.80
Nevada	$59,646	$28.68
Texas	$59,461	$28.59
Ohio	$59,360	$28.54
Hawaii	$59,073	$28.40
Colorado	$58,436	$28.09
North Dakota	$58,406	$28.08
Minnesota	$57,849	$27.81
Idaho	$57,475	$27.63
Utah	$57,397	$27.59
North Carolina	$57,383	$27.59
Louisiana	$57,035	$27.42
Iowa	$56,027	$26.94
Wisconsin	$55,784	$26.82
Maine	$55,724	$26.79
South Carolina	$55,308	$26.59
Oklahoma	$55,306	$26.59
Kentucky	$55,207	$26.54
Missouri	$55,011	$26.45
Montana	$54,675	$26.29
Tennessee	$54,663	$26.28
Indiana	$54,601	$26.25
Georgia	$54,415	$26.16
Kansas	$54,096	$26.01
Arkansas	$53,660	$25.80
Florida	$53,471	$25.71
Wyoming	$53,204	$25.58
Mississippi	$53,092	$25.52
Alabama	$52,956	$25.46
Nebraska	$52,834	$25.40
South Dakota	$52,544	$25.26

Highest paying jobs for drafting and design majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Principal Design Engineer	$134,299	120,887
2	Design Manager/Senior Designer	$133,179	82,158
3	Senior Piping Designer	$130,019	65,865
4	Principal Designer	$123,528	84,683
5	Senior Product Designer	$120,586	121,037
6	Senior User Experience Designer	$111,933	52,582
7	Lead Designer	$110,000	45,423
8	Data Scientist	$106,104	106,973
9	Senior Design Engineer	$104,698	127,035
10	Senior Mechanical Designer	$103,764	71,958
11	Senior Designer	$102,058	47,503
12	Product Designer	$102,032	98,465
13	User Experience Researcher	$99,848	24,148
14	Project Leader	$98,559	221,165
15	Senior Project Engineer	$97,803	146,838
16	Senior Structural Designer	$96,422	47,653
17	Product Design Engineer	$94,827	170,485
18	Sales Engineer	$93,726	132,324
19	User Experience Designer	$91,159	52,582
20	Design Architect	$89,139	111,505

Average drafting and design major salary by industry

The type of industry that a drafting and design major graduate works in can influence their earning potential.Our analysis shows that telecommunication companies, automotive companies, and technology companies pay higher-than-average wages for drafting and design major graduates.Salaries for drafting and design major graduates in telecommunication companies average $96,258 annually, while automotive companies and technology companies pay $84,254 and $81,735, respectively.The average drafting and design major salary in the construction industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $67,751.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average drafting and design major salary	Range
1	Telecommunication	$96,258	$55k $121k
2	Automotive	$84,254	$55k $121k
3	Technology	$81,735	$55k $121k
4	Retail	$80,502	$55k $121k
5	Finance	$73,911	$55k $121k
6	Manufacturing	$73,772	$55k $121k
7	Professional	$68,842	$55k $121k
8	Construction	$67,751	$55k $121k

Salary history for drafting and design major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Drafting And Design major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Engineering And Industrial Management	$83,180	$37k $107k
2	Mechanical Engineering Technology	$76,570	$37k $107k
3	Engineering Technology	$74,264	$37k $107k
4	Industrial Technology	$71,169	$37k $107k
5	Construction Engineering Technologies	$68,401	$37k $107k
6	Occupational Safety And Health	$66,360	$37k $107k
7	Petroleum Technology	$66,200	$37k $107k
8	Electrical Engineering Technology	$61,629	$37k $107k
9	Electromechanical Instrumentation And Maintenance Technologies/Technicians	$60,509	$37k $107k
10	Civil Engineering Technologies	$59,031	$37k $107k
11	Architectural Engineering Technology	$58,827	$37k $107k
12	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	$57,378	$37k $107k
13	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies	$52,176	$37k $107k
14	Computer Engineering Technology	$50,832	$37k $107k
15	Nuclear Engineering Technology	$49,303	$37k $107k