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Computer aided design designer salary
Average computer aided design designer salary
$60,150
Understanding Computer Aided Design Designer Salaries
The average salary for a Computer Aided Design (CAD) Designer is approximately $60,150 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, CAD designers working in high-demand areas or specialized fields may command significantly higher salaries.
Salary by State
Different states offer varying salary ranges for CAD designers. For example, states such as California and New York often have higher salary averages due to the concentration of industries that rely on design professionals. In contrast, states with fewer opportunities may reflect lower averages.
Top Paying Cities
When considering location, cities like San Francisco and New York City consistently rank as some of the highest-paying locations for CAD designers, often exceeding the national average. Moreover, emerging markets in tech hubs are also increasing demand for skilled CAD professionals.
Career Advancement
Opportunities for growth within this field are abundant, with potential pathways leading to senior design roles, project management, or even executive positions in design firms. Continuous education and certifications can further enhance earning potential and job security.
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Where can a Computer Aided Design Designer earn more?
Average computer aided design designer salary by state
The average computer aided design designer salary in California, Washington, and West Virginia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average computer aided design designer salary states are Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer aided design designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $71,692 | $34.47 |
| 2 | California | $76,373 | $36.72 |
| 3 | Michigan | $64,962 | $31.23 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $66,064 | $31.76 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $65,392 | $31.44 |
| 6 | New York | $66,153 | $31.80 |
| 7 | Oregon | $63,994 | $30.77 |
| 8 | Ohio | $66,610 | $32.02 |
| 9 | Vermont | $63,605 | $30.58 |
| 10 | Arizona | $61,919 | $29.77 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $64,067 | $30.80 |
| 12 | Alaska | $66,985 | $32.20 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $67,757 | $32.58 |
| 14 | Delaware | $64,869 | $31.19 |
| 15 | Montana | $62,233 | $29.92 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $62,897 | $30.24 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $63,983 | $30.76 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $61,977 | $29.80 |
| 19 | Arkansas | $62,635 | $30.11 |
| 20 | Utah | $58,611 | $28.18 |
| 21 | Nevada | $60,909 | $29.28 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $60,624 | $29.15 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $59,585 | $28.65 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $59,252 | $28.49 |
| 25 | Illinois | $59,903 | $28.80 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $58,808 | $28.27 |
| 27 | Iowa | $56,871 | $27.34 |
| 28 | Maryland | $57,231 | $27.51 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $58,241 | $28.00 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $61,467 | $29.55 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $61,289 | $29.47 |
| 32 | Colorado | $55,947 | $26.90 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $56,428 | $27.13 |
| 34 | Idaho | $55,442 | $26.65 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $56,796 | $27.31 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $55,401 | $26.64 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $52,267 | $25.13 |
| 38 | Virginia | $52,966 | $25.46 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $54,687 | $26.29 |
| 40 | Kansas | $53,593 | $25.77 |
| 41 | Indiana | $54,275 | $26.09 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $51,822 | $24.91 |
| 43 | Missouri | $54,647 | $26.27 |
| 44 | Texas | $51,710 | $24.86 |
| 45 | Maine | $52,509 | $25.24 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $53,382 | $25.66 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $53,228 | $25.59 |
| 48 | Georgia | $48,448 | $23.29 |
| 49 | Florida | $51,294 | $24.66 |
| 50 | Alabama | $49,025 | $23.57 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $50,457 | $24.26 |
Highest paying cities for computer aided design designers
The highest-paying cities for computer aided design designers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Cleveland, OH.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $88,182 | $42.40 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $72,272 | $34.75 |
| 3 | Cleveland, OH | $68,369 | $32.87 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $66,466 | $31.95 |
| 5 | Plymouth, MA | $66,244 | $31.85 |
| 6 | Detroit, MI | $65,444 | $31.46 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $63,698 | $30.62 |
| 8 | Duluth, MN | $62,523 | $30.06 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $62,128 | $29.87 |
| 10 | Newark, NJ | $61,310 | $29.48 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $61,012 | $29.33 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $60,259 | $28.97 |
| 13 | Davenport, IA | $58,091 | $27.93 |
| 14 | Raleigh, NC | $57,640 | $27.71 |
| 15 | Annapolis, MD | $57,318 | $27.56 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $55,932 | $26.89 |
| 17 | Albuquerque, NM | $55,617 | $26.74 |
| 18 | Kansas City, MO | $54,212 | $26.06 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $54,133 | $26.03 |
| 20 | Kansas City, KS | $53,885 | $25.91 |
Computer Aided Design Designers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Computer aided design designer salary details
A computer aided design designer's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer aided design designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
| Average | $60,150 | $5,013 | $29 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
Highest paying computer aided design designer jobs
The highest paying types of computer aided design designers are senior designer, design engineer, and mechanical design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draftsman | $42,908 | $3,576 | $20.63 | 3,143 |
| Drafter | $43,542 | $3,629 | $20.93 | 3,968 |
| Autocad Drafter | $41,984 | $3,499 | $20.18 | 2,429 |
| Architectural Internship | $53,914 | $4,493 | $25.92 | 57,981 |
| Design Coordinator | $53,594 | $4,466 | $25.77 | 57,107 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
Top companies hiring computer aided design designers now:
Which companies pay computer aided design designers the most?
Computer aided design designer salaries at Meta and Levi Strauss & Co. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer aided design designer salary at companies like Lands' End and Cirrus Aircraft are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $133,426 | $64.15 |
| 2 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $115,367 | $55.46 |
| 3 | Lands' End | $110,327 | $53.04 |
| 4 | Cirrus Aircraft | $107,606 | $51.73 |
| 5 | Stryker | $102,488 | $49.27 |
| 6 | American Eagle Outfitters | $102,392 | $49.23 |
| 7 | Gap Inc. | $101,740 | $48.91 |
| 8 | NuVasive | $98,853 | $47.53 |
| 9 | Koppers | $97,590 | $46.92 |
| 10 | Tesla | $95,700 | $46.01 |
| 11 | Rivian | $95,588 | $45.96 |
| 12 | BorgWarner | $95,197 | $45.77 |
| 13 | Abbott | $93,856 | $45.12 |
| 14 | Corning Incorporated | $93,358 | $44.88 |
| 15 | Burton Snowboards | $92,293 | $44.37 |
| 16 | BD | $89,640 | $43.10 |
| 17 | Southern California Edison | $89,282 | $42.92 |
| 18 | Whirlpool | $88,617 | $42.60 |
| 19 | Praxair | $88,023 | $42.32 |
| 20 | Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co | $87,335 | $41.99 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer Aided Design Designer salary by industry
The average computer aided design designer salary varies across industries:
- The average computer aided design designer salary in the automotive industry is $79,713, the highest of any industry.
- The average computer aided design designer salary in the finance industry is $66,570.
- Computer aided design designers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $61,066, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for computer aided design designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $79,713 | $38.32 |
| 2 | Energy | $66,570 | $32.00 |
| 3 | Technology | $65,250 | $31.37 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $64,032 | $30.78 |
| 5 | Construction | $63,550 | $30.55 |
| 6 | Retail | $61,111 | $29.38 |
| 7 | Professional | $61,066 | $29.36 |
High paying computer aided design designer jobs
Computer aided design designer salary trends
The average computer aided design designer salary has risen by $9,363 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer aided design designer earned $50,787 annually, but today, they earn $60,150 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for computer aided design designers over the last decade.
Compare computer aided design designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer aided design designer salary over time
Compare computer aided design designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer aided design designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $60,100 | $28.92 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $58,900 | $28.32 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $57,700 | $27.75 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $56,900 | $27.36 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $56,200 | $27.04 | +1.8% |
Recently added computer aided design designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delve | Cad/Bim Design Technology Specialist I | Fine, NY | 06/30/2025 | $48,656 |
| Signet Jewelers | CAD Designer | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $60,523 |
| Signet Us Holdings | CAD Designer | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $60,523 |
| Allegion | CAD Designer | Snoqualmie, WA | 06/30/2025 | $45,700 |
| Graham & Associates | CAD Drafter-Designer-Civil Engineering | Houston, TX | 06/29/2025 | $52,175 |
| Actalent | Survey CAD Designer | Grand Rapids, MI | 06/29/2025 | $58,436 |
| Actalent | CAD Designer | Kansas City, MO | 06/29/2025 | $52,175 |
| Schnabel Engineering | Senior Civil CAD Designer | Glen Allen, VA | 06/28/2025 | $93,915 |
| OSI Engineering | NX CAD Modeler-Nxopen Expert for A A Globally Leading Technology Company | Cupertino, CA | 06/27/2025 | $58,436 |
| Tyler Staffing Services | Sheet Metal/Cad Designer | Greenville, SC | 06/26/2025 | $55,000 |
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