Mechanical draftsman vs mechanical design engineer

The differences between mechanical draftsmen and mechanical design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mechanical draftsman, becoming a mechanical design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a mechanical design engineer has an average salary of $75,821, which is higher than the $40,926 average annual salary of a mechanical draftsman.

The top three skills for a mechanical draftsman include auto cad, assembly drawings and HVAC. The most important skills for a mechanical design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.

Mechanical draftsman vs mechanical design engineer overview

	Mechanical Draftsman	Mechanical Design Engineer
Yearly salary	$40,926	$75,821
Hourly rate	$19.68	$36.45
Growth rate	-3%	2%
Number of jobs	17,516	120,258
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	4	6

Mechanical draftsman vs mechanical design engineer salary

Mechanical draftsmen and mechanical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mechanical Draftsman	Mechanical Design Engineer
Average salary	$40,926	$75,821
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $59,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between mechanical draftsman and mechanical design engineer education

There are a few differences between a mechanical draftsman and a mechanical design engineer in terms of educational background:

	Mechanical Draftsman	Mechanical Design Engineer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Michigan Technological University

Mechanical draftsman vs mechanical design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical draftsmen' and mechanical design engineers' demographics:

	Mechanical Draftsman	Mechanical Design Engineer
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	5%

Differences between mechanical draftsman and mechanical design engineer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical draftsman example responsibilities.

Manage ECR and ECO packets to alter documentation specifications.
Manage document collation for field distribution of MEP plans to shop and field.
Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
Design, revise and update mechanical drawings for an automate trash baler, HVAC and conveyor systems.
Coordinate between MEP and prepare project deliverables.
Revise and update mechanical drawing and BOM as required.

Mechanical design engineer example responsibilities.

Manage installation and troubleshooting documents for ultra precision CNC grinding machines.
Manage the successful release to manufacturing of several generations of Ethernet switches.
Engineer, manage and implement configuration and installation of complex Ethernet network backbones.
Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
Supervise product development in coherence with UL standards and manufacturers.

Mechanical draftsman vs mechanical design engineer skills

Common mechanical draftsman skills

Auto CAD, 12%
Assembly Drawings, 8%
HVAC, 7%
R, 5%
Mechanical Drawings, 5%
BOM, 5%

Common mechanical design engineer skills

CAD, 14%
Mechanical Design, 12%
GD, 5%
Creo, 5%
FEA, 4%
UL, 3%

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Mechanical Draftsman vs Mechanical Design Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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