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Electrical drafter salary

Average electrical drafter salary

$52,027

$25.01 hourly rate

Entry-level electrical drafter salary
$40,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Electrical Drafter Salary

As of October 2025, the average salary for an Electrical Drafter is approximately $52,027 per year, translating to about $25 per hour. This salary can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and the specific industry. For instance, electrical drafters in states like California and Texas tend to earn higher wages due to demand and cost of living.

Salary by State

Understanding how salary differs by state is crucial for job seekers. For example, the highest-paying states for electrical drafters include:

  • California
  • Washington
  • New York

These states offer average salaries significantly above the national average, making them attractive for professionals in this field.

Job Opportunities

The demand for electrical drafters remains strong, particularly in industries such as construction and manufacturing. Job seekers can find opportunities throughout the country, with many companies seeking skilled professionals to design complex electrical systems. With the right skills and an understanding of industry trends, electrical drafters can secure rewarding positions that not only offer competitive salaries but also promise career advancement.

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Where can an Electrical Drafter earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
78k
58k
38k
18k
Columbus, OH$53,858
Overland Park, KS$48,395
Compare salary by company
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78k
58k
38k
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Stantec$59,343
City Light & Power$47,718

Electrical drafter salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com and Comparably, the average salary for an electrical drafter typically falls between $52,027 and $65,061.
zippia
$52,027yearly
comparably[1]
$61,840yearly
Salary.com[2]
$65,061yearly

Average electrical drafter salary by state

The highest-paying states for electrical drafters are Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The lowest average electrical drafter salary states are Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Colorado.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for electrical drafters

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Michigan$51,437$24.73
2Pennsylvania$53,596$25.77
3Wisconsin$50,165$24.12
4Delaware$54,012$25.97
5Virginia$53,567$25.75
6Ohio$51,646$24.83
7Maryland$53,852$25.89
8Connecticut$52,776$25.37
9North Carolina$51,435$24.73
10Massachusetts$51,456$24.74
11Nevada$51,094$24.56
12Indiana$50,369$24.22
13Iowa$49,131$23.62
14West Virginia$52,116$25.06
15Rhode Island$52,174$25.08
16Alabama$48,939$23.53
17Arizona$50,051$24.06
18Utah$49,363$23.73
19Georgia$49,222$23.66
20District of Columbia$53,896$25.91
21New Hampshire$50,623$24.34
22California$51,451$24.74
23New York$53,252$25.60
24Florida$50,999$24.52
25New Jersey$53,518$25.73
26Maine$49,099$23.61
27South Carolina$50,086$24.08
28Kentucky$49,825$23.95
29Oregon$50,446$24.25
30Wyoming$48,217$23.18
31Minnesota$49,433$23.77
32New Mexico$49,552$23.82
33North Dakota$49,097$23.60
34Tennessee$48,966$23.54
35Washington$49,825$23.95
36Texas$49,746$23.92
37Kansas$48,333$23.24
38South Dakota$48,537$23.34
39Missouri$48,617$23.37
40Nebraska$48,328$23.23
41Illinois$50,167$24.12
42Colorado$48,371$23.26
43Mississippi$49,003$23.56
44Louisiana$49,858$23.97
45Hawaii$48,993$23.55
46Idaho$49,381$23.74
47Montana$48,728$23.43
48Vermont$49,432$23.77
49Arkansas$48,461$23.30
50Alaska$49,697$23.89
51Oklahoma$48,493$23.31

Highest paying cities for electrical drafters

The highest-paying cities for electrical drafters are Washington, DC, Sterling, VA, and Allentown, PA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$53,858$25.89
2Sterling, VA$53,747$25.84
3Allentown, PA$53,506$25.72
4New York, NY$53,457$25.70
5Paterson, NJ$53,279$25.61
6Modesto, CA$52,599$25.29
7Westerville, OH$51,728$24.87
8Merritt Island, FL$50,881$24.46
9Kenosha, WI$50,345$24.20
10Chicago, IL$50,310$24.19
11Phoenix, AZ$50,124$24.10
12Austin, TX$50,017$24.05
13Chattanooga, TN$49,042$23.58
14Kennesaw, GA$49,008$23.56
15Norman, OK$48,661$23.39
16Overland Park, KS$48,395$23.27

Electrical drafter salary details

An electrical drafter's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $66,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average electrical drafter salary graph
Average electrical drafter salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an electrical drafter's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32
75th Percentile$59,000$4,917$28
Average$52,027$4,336$25
25th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22
10th Percentile$40,000$3,333$19

Highest paying electrical drafter jobs

The highest paying types of electrical drafters are electrical design engineer, electrical engineer, and staking engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Computer Aided Design Designer$60,150$5,012$28.9292,503
Architectural Internship$53,914$4,493$25.9257,981
Structural Designer$63,273$5,273$30.4251,432
Architectural Designer$59,122$4,927$28.4254,358
Mechanical Designer$62,541$5,212$30.0765,748
Computer Aided Drafter$43,520$3,627$20.9216,907

Top companies hiring electrical drafters now:

  1. Westinghouse Appliances Australia jobs (7)
  2. ABB jobs (6)
  3. Brown and Caldwell jobs (3)
  4. Entergy jobs (4)
  5. Fluor Corporation jobs (4)

Which companies pay electrical drafters the most?

Electrical drafter salaries at Stantec and Lockheed Martin are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average electrical drafter salary at companies like ESPO and Sargent & Lundy are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Stantec$59,343$28.53
2Lockheed Martin$56,528$27.18
3ESPO$52,616$25.30
4Sargent & Lundy$52,556$25.27
5Outrider$52,408$25.20
6Altran Corporation$51,381$24.70
7Randstad North America, Inc.$51,254$24.64
8Kelly Services$51,159$24.60
9System One$50,743$24.40
10Protingent$50,556$24.31
11Aerotek$49,835$23.96
12City Light & Power$47,718$22.94

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$56,000$54,800$53,600$52,400$51,200$50,000
MaleFemale

Electrical Drafter salary by industry

The average electrical drafter salary varies across industries:

  • The average electrical drafter salary in the utilities industry is $61,459, the highest of any industry.
  • The average electrical drafter salary in the finance industry is $57,275.
  • Electrical drafters in the retail industry earn an average salary of $50,699, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for electrical drafters

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Utilities$61,459$29.55
2Manufacturing$57,275$27.54
3Energy$55,881$26.87
4Construction$54,862$26.38
5Professional$53,886$25.91
6Technology$53,146$25.55
7Retail$50,699$24.37

High paying electrical drafter jobs

Electrical drafter salary trends

The average electrical drafter salary has risen by $6,392 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average electrical drafter earned $45,635 annually, but today, they earn $52,027 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for electrical drafters over the last decade.

Compare electrical drafter salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average electrical drafter salary over time

Compare electrical drafter salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Electrical drafter salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$52,000$25.01+0.9%
2024$51,500$24.78+2.4%
2023$50,300$24.20+0.6%
2022$50,000$24.04-0.5%
2021$50,200$24.15+0.8%

Recently added electrical drafter salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Sargent & LundyElectrical Drafter 2-Nuclear PowerWilmington, DE06/27/2025$45,480
ActalentElectrical DrafterLouisville, KY06/19/2025$48,001
Sargent & LundyElectrical Drafter 2-Nuclear PowerPhoenix, AZ06/12/2025$45,480
Latitude Inc.Electrical DrafterOwings Mills, MD06/09/2025$50,000
Unity ElectricAssistant Electrical DrafterRedding, CA05/27/2025$50,088
ActalentElectrical DrafterIrvine, CA05/26/2025$48,001
AAONElectrical Drafter ITulsa, OK05/22/2025$43,618
ActalentElectrical DrafterDavenport, IA05/22/2025$62,610
Coffman EngineersElectrical DrafterSpokane, WA05/18/2025$45,914
ActalentRemote Electrical DrafterVirginia Beach, VA05/18/2025$52,175

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