Lead drafter vs autocad designer

The differences between lead drafters and autocad designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead drafter and an autocad designer. Additionally, an autocad designer has an average salary of $55,786, which is higher than the $47,538 average annual salary of a lead drafter.

The top three skills for a lead drafter include construction drawings, autocad and engineering drawings. The most important skills for an autocad designer are auto cad, revit, and civil engineering.

Lead drafter vs autocad designer overview

	Lead Drafter	Autocad Designer
Yearly salary	$47,538	$55,786
Hourly rate	$22.85	$26.82
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,266	46,459
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Lead drafter vs autocad designer salary

Lead drafters and autocad designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Drafter	Autocad Designer
Average salary	$47,538	$55,786
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $63,000	Between $40,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between lead drafter and autocad designer education

There are a few differences between a lead drafter and an autocad designer in terms of educational background:

	Lead Drafter	Autocad Designer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Lead drafter vs autocad designer demographics

Here are the differences between lead drafters' and autocad designers' demographics:

	Lead Drafter	Autocad Designer
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%	Male, 78.1% Female, 21.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lead drafter and autocad designer duties and responsibilities

Lead drafter example responsibilities.

Lead and train a drafting team in order to transfer all hand drawn layouts to a digital copy using AutoCAD.
Maintain ECO's numbers and BOM's.
Create and revise BOM's as required per drawings and specifications.
Program and operate CNC routers, including maintenance and general care of the machine.
Design with sheet metal, aluminum, and parts to be mill by a CNC machine.
Provide support regarding AutoCAD operation.

Autocad designer example responsibilities.

Establish and manage firm's account on NYC DOB website; fulfill office duties and manage office.
Revise HVAC, piping, fire protection and electrical drawings for package.
Perform site visits and create accurate AutoCAD and Revit plans reflecting existing conditions.
Create mechanical, electrical, HVAC, civil and 3D drawings using AutoCAD.
Perform at the highest professional level with great attention to detail, gain extensive knowledge of AutoCAD and Revit.
Accompany engineers in PSSRs as well as field sketch changes to be implement in Cadworx models and change accordingly.

Lead drafter vs autocad designer skills

Common lead drafter skills

Construction Drawings, 18%
Autocad, 18%
Engineering Drawings, 16%
Aided Design, 14%
Product Line, 10%
CAD Tech, 3%

Common autocad designer skills

Auto CAD, 7%
Revit, 6%
Civil Engineering, 5%
HVAC, 5%
Construction Drawings, 5%
Elevations, 5%