Plumbing drafter vs computer aided drafter

The differences between plumbing drafters and computer aided drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a plumbing drafter, becoming a computer aided drafter takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a plumbing drafter has an average salary of $51,774, which is higher than the $43,520 average annual salary of a computer aided drafter.

The top three skills for a plumbing drafter include plumbing, HVAC and revit. The most important skills for a computer aided drafter are cad standards, revit, and aided design.

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided drafter overview

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Yearly salary	$51,774	$43,520
Hourly rate	$24.89	$20.92
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,227	16,907
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 52%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	12

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided drafter salary

Plumbing drafters and computer aided drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Average salary	$51,774	$43,520
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $69,000	Between $33,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	Kearny, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between plumbing drafter and computer aided drafter education

There are a few differences between a plumbing drafter and a computer aided drafter in terms of educational background:

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 52%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Northwestern University	Carnegie Mellon University

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided drafter demographics

Here are the differences between plumbing drafters' and computer aided drafters' demographics:

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%	Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8%
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, 3.1% 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 plumbing drafter and computer aided drafter duties and responsibilities

Plumbing drafter example responsibilities.

Draft drawings on computer of the HVAC.
Create all require drawings necessary to the complete construction installation of the plumbing system in commercial buildings new and remodels.
Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Input bearings and points using LDD software.

Computer aided drafter example responsibilities.

Clean up architectural drawings to bare walls, convert layers and add masonry reinforcements to walls, doors and windows.
Used VBA to program business tools.
Create detail blue prints for jigs to be build for production.
Translate REVIT (BIM) files into AutoCAD-ready files from contract architect.
Create PowerPoint presentations to introduce the flows of the conveyor belt systems.
Conduct field and sketch analysis to determine the most effective approach for plan development.

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided drafter skills

Common plumbing drafter skills

Plumbing, 43%
HVAC, 21%
Revit, 19%
Engineering Drawings, 14%
Fire Protection, 3%

Common computer aided drafter skills

CAD Standards, 9%
Revit, 7%
Aided Design, 6%
CAD Drawings, 5%
Shop Drawings, 4%
Autocad Release, 4%

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Plumbing Drafter vs Computer Aided Drafter

Updated January 8, 2025

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