Map drafter vs cartographic drafter

The differences between map drafters and cartographic drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cartographic drafter has an average salary of $56,708, which is higher than the $54,764 average annual salary of a map drafter.

The top three skills for a map drafter include CAD, GIS and . The most important skills for a cartographic drafter are autocad, , and .

Map drafter vs cartographic drafter overview

	Map Drafter	Cartographic Drafter
Yearly salary	$54,764	$56,708
Hourly rate	$26.33	$27.26
Growth rate	4%	3%
Number of jobs	2,144	2,103
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Map drafter vs cartographic drafter salary

Map drafters and cartographic drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Map Drafter	Cartographic Drafter
Average salary	$54,764	$56,708
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $75,000	Between $39,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between map drafter and cartographic drafter education

There are a few differences between a map drafter and a cartographic drafter in terms of educational background:

	Map Drafter	Cartographic Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Geography
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Northwestern University

Map drafter vs cartographic drafter demographics

Here are the differences between map drafters' and cartographic drafters' demographics:

	Map Drafter	Cartographic Drafter
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 78.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 4.2% White, 78.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	5%	7%

Differences between map drafter and cartographic drafter duties and responsibilities

Map drafter example responsibilities.

Work with GLO surveys, quad maps and aerial imagery.
Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Input bearings and points using LDD software.

Cartographic drafter example responsibilities.

Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Specify type sizes and styles of names, labels and other symbols appropriate for FEMA maps and other materials.

Map drafter vs cartographic drafter skills

Common map drafter skills

CAD, 77%
GIS, 23%

Common cartographic drafter skills

Autocad, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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