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Best states for a drafting engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and architecture and engineering careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to drafting engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for drafting engineers.As drafting engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for drafting engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a drafting engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for drafting engineers. California is the best state for drafting engineers, where the median salary is $63,446.We found that the Northeast is best for drafting engineers, and the South is the worst. Union City, CA is the best city in the country for drafting engineer jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for drafting engineers in 2025
1. California
Total drafting engineer jobs: 1,759 Average annual salary: $63,446 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.822. Delaware
Total drafting engineer jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $53,082 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.523. Michigan
Total drafting engineer jobs: 229 Average annual salary: $51,872 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.894. Ohio
Total drafting engineer jobs: 211 Average annual salary: $53,682 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.625. Arkansas
Total drafting engineer jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $54,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Location Quotient: 0.66. Georgia
Total drafting engineer jobs: 324 Average annual salary: $51,657 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.957. New Mexico
Total drafting engineer jobs: 34 Average annual salary: $55,945 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.528. Texas
Total drafting engineer jobs: 674 Average annual salary: $49,902 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.019. District of Columbia
Total drafting engineer jobs: 174 Average annual salary: $52,941 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 3.1310. West Virginia
Total drafting engineer jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $55,410 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.32
Drafting engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a drafting engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a drafting engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $63,446 | $41,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,759 |
| 2 | Delaware | $53,082 | $35,000 | 961,939 | 63 |
| 3 | Michigan | $51,872 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 229 |
| 4 | Ohio | $53,682 | $35,000 | 11,658,609 | 211 |
| 5 | Arkansas | $54,244 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 52 |
| 6 | Georgia | $51,657 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 324 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $55,945 | $38,000 | 2,088,070 | 34 |
| 8 | Texas | $49,902 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 674 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $52,941 | $34,000 | 693,972 | 174 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $55,410 | $36,000 | 1,815,857 | 16 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $51,566 | $37,000 | 755,393 | 17 |
| 12 | New York | $51,569 | $34,000 | 19,849,399 | 415 |
| 13 | Florida | $50,224 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 465 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $50,127 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 213 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $51,172 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 43 |
| 16 | Arizona | $48,472 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 238 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $50,420 | $33,000 | 5,024,369 | 95 |
| 18 | Alaska | $56,319 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 16 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $57,639 | $45,000 | 1,427,538 | 22 |
| 20 | Oregon | $48,354 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 232 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $50,102 | $34,000 | 3,930,864 | 41 |
| 22 | Colorado | $48,654 | $34,000 | 5,607,154 | 272 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $48,646 | $34,000 | 5,576,606 | 169 |
| 24 | Nevada | $48,401 | $32,000 | 2,998,039 | 47 |
| 25 | Utah | $46,964 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 114 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $47,682 | $31,000 | 10,273,419 | 262 |
| 27 | Montana | $48,526 | $34,000 | 1,050,493 | 19 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $48,119 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 294 |
| 29 | Illinois | $48,198 | $32,000 | 12,802,023 | 319 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $46,386 | $31,000 | 5,795,483 | 149 |
| 31 | Maryland | $47,146 | $31,000 | 6,052,177 | 336 |
| 32 | Iowa | $46,506 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 78 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $48,204 | $33,000 | 869,666 | 11 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $49,256 | $32,000 | 9,005,644 | 171 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $48,382 | $32,000 | 3,588,184 | 73 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $47,276 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 23 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $46,846 | $32,000 | 1,059,639 | 21 |
| 38 | Virginia | $44,583 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 611 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $45,508 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 59 |
| 40 | Washington | $44,819 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 372 |
| 41 | Alabama | $43,157 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 145 |
| 42 | Indiana | $43,937 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 159 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $42,648 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 17 |
| 44 | Kansas | $45,284 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 45 |
| 45 | Missouri | $45,805 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 91 |
| 46 | Vermont | $41,806 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 24 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $42,972 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 97 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $44,056 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 44 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $39,902 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 42 |
| 50 | Idaho | $42,040 | $28,000 | 1,716,943 | 30 |
| 51 | Maine | $34,029 | $24,000 | 1,335,907 | 20 |
Highest paying states for drafting engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Drafting Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $63,446 |
| 2 | Delaware | $53,082 |
| 3 | Michigan | $51,872 |
| 4 | Ohio | $53,682 |
| 5 | Arkansas | $54,244 |
| 6 | Georgia | $51,657 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $55,945 |
| 8 | Texas | $49,902 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $52,941 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $55,410 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $51,566 |
| 12 | New York | $51,569 |
| 13 | Florida | $50,224 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $50,127 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $51,172 |
| 16 | Arizona | $48,472 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $50,420 |
| 18 | Alaska | $56,319 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $57,639 |
| 20 | Oregon | $48,354 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $50,102 |
| 22 | Colorado | $48,654 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $48,646 |
| 24 | Nevada | $48,401 |
| 25 | Utah | $46,964 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $47,682 |
| 27 | Montana | $48,526 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $48,119 |
| 29 | Illinois | $48,198 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $46,386 |
| 31 | Maryland | $47,146 |
| 32 | Iowa | $46,506 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $48,204 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $49,256 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $48,382 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $47,276 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $46,846 |
| 38 | Virginia | $44,583 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $45,508 |
| 40 | Washington | $44,819 |
| 41 | Alabama | $43,157 |
| 42 | Indiana | $43,937 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $42,648 |
| 44 | Kansas | $45,284 |
| 45 | Missouri | $45,805 |
| 46 | Vermont | $41,806 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $42,972 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $44,056 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $39,902 |
| 50 | Idaho | $42,040 |
| 51 | Maine | $34,029 |
Drafting engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025