Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior architectural designers and autocad drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior architectural designer and an autocad drafter. Additionally, a senior architectural designer has an average salary of $74,891, which is higher than the $41,984 average annual salary of an autocad drafter.
The top three skills for a senior architectural designer include revit, autocad and design concepts. The most important skills for an autocad drafter are construction drawings, layout drawings, and revit.
| Senior Architectural Designer | Autocad Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $74,891 | $41,984 |
| Hourly rate | $36.01 | $20.18 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,724 | 2,429 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A senior architectural designer's responsibilities include designing buildings, providing instructions to a manufacturing team, and using architectural design software to create models. Specifications for designs may be provided by clients or by a company. Senior architectural designers must also ensure that their buildings comply with all legal standards.
An Autocad Drafter develops drawings and plans for the construction and manufacturing industries. They use various types of computer-aided design and drafting software.
Senior architectural designers and autocad drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Architectural Designer | Autocad Drafter | |
| Average salary | $74,891 | $41,984 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $101,000 | Between $31,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Garfield, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | GPAC |
| Best paying industry | Media | Government |
There are a few differences between a senior architectural designer and an autocad drafter in terms of educational background:
| Senior Architectural Designer | Autocad Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior architectural designers' and autocad drafters' demographics:
| Senior Architectural Designer | Autocad Drafter | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.9% Female, 26.1% | Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |