Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for draftsmen in the United States
Draftsman job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected draftsman job growth rate is -3% from 2018-2028.
About -6,700 new jobs for draftsmen are projected over the next decade.
Draftsman salaries have increased 7% for draftsmen in the last 5 years.
There are over 59,761 draftsmen currently employed in the United States.
There are 3,143 active draftsman job openings in the US.
The average draftsman salary is $42,908.
Are draftsman jobs in demand?
Draftsman job and salary trends over time
Draftsman jobs over time
Draftsman job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59,761 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 60,762 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 62,288 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 62,292 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 62,618 | 0.02% |
Average draftsman salary over time
Draftsman salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $42,908 | $20.63 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | $42,017 | $20.20 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $41,178 | $19.80 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $40,596 | $19.52 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $40,118 | $19.29 | +1.8% |
Draftsman jobs by state
Most common states for draftsmen
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 115 | 1% |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 44 | 1% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 30 | 1% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 28 | 1% |
| 5 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 17 | 1% |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 4 | 1% |
| 7 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 3 | 1% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 107 | 0% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 54 | 0% |
| 10 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 31 | 0% |
| 11 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 28 | 0% |
| 12 | New York | 19,849,399 | 26 | 0% |
| 13 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 23 | 0% |
| 14 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 9 | 0% |
| 15 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 6 | 0% |
| 16 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 6 | 0% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 5 | 0% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 4 | 0% |
| 19 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 1 | 0% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
Most common cities for draftsmen
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northbrook | 1 | 3% | $42,972 |
| 2 | Evansville | 1 | 1% | $36,376 |
| 3 | Lafayette | 1 | 1% | $38,539 |
Draftsman job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of draftsman experts
ADDA
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Draftsman 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 Draftsmen in the next 3-5 years?
Dan Rodenbaugh: Personal computers and internet, better off-site interaction.