Lead drafter vs structural drafter

The differences between lead drafters and structural drafters 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 a structural drafter. Additionally, a structural drafter has an average salary of $48,536, 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 a structural drafter are revit, shop drawings, and structural drawings.

Lead drafter vs structural drafter overview

	Lead Drafter	Structural Drafter
Yearly salary	$47,538	$48,536
Hourly rate	$22.85	$23.33
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,266	4,685
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Associate Degree, 63%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Lead drafter vs structural drafter salary

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

	Lead Drafter	Structural Drafter
Average salary	$47,538	$48,536
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $63,000	Between $36,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between lead drafter and structural drafter education

There are a few differences between a lead drafter and a structural drafter in terms of educational background:

	Lead Drafter	Structural Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 65%	Associate Degree, 63%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Lead drafter vs structural drafter demographics

Here are the differences between lead drafters' and structural drafters' demographics:

	Lead Drafter	Structural Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%	Male, 78.9% Female, 21.1%
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 structural drafter 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.

Structural drafter example responsibilities.

Create as-built AutoCAD and Revit structural drawings for existing conditions.
Create CNC nesting programs for wood, plastic, and graphics.
Create automated schedules, sections, views and plans from Revit database content.
Produce molding samples, analyze pressure & temperature control, CNC part programme adjustments.
Inspect electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, mold, insulation, damages, & conditions of the house.
Develop elevations with horizontal and vertical section detail drawings.

Lead drafter vs structural drafter skills

Common lead drafter skills

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

Common structural drafter skills

Revit, 25%
Shop Drawings, 11%
Structural Drawings, 8%
Elevations, 6%
BIM, 6%
Construction Drawings, 5%