Senior drafter vs structural drafter

The differences between senior drafters and structural 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 drafter and a structural drafter. Additionally, a structural drafter has an average salary of $48,536, which is higher than the $44,988 average annual salary of a senior drafter.

The top three skills for a senior drafter include autocad, layout drawings and cad standards. The most important skills for a structural drafter are revit, shop drawings, and structural drawings.

Senior drafter vs structural drafter overview

	Senior Drafter	Structural Drafter
Yearly salary	$44,988	$48,536
Hourly rate	$21.63	$23.33
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,189	4,685
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 61%	Associate Degree, 63%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Senior drafter vs structural drafter salary

Senior drafters and structural drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Drafter	Structural Drafter
Average salary	$44,988	$48,536
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $60,000	Between $36,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between senior drafter and structural drafter education

There are a few differences between a senior drafter and a structural drafter in terms of educational background:

	Senior Drafter	Structural Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 61%	Associate Degree, 63%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Senior drafter vs structural drafter demographics

Here are the differences between senior drafters' and structural drafters' demographics:

	Senior Drafter	Structural Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%	Male, 78.9% Female, 21.1%
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%

Differences between senior drafter and structural drafter duties and responsibilities

Senior drafter example responsibilities.

Manage the design history of 3D part models, assemblies, and drawings using PDM software.
Produce design and construction drawings electrical and HVAC departments for commercial and residential projects per applicable national codes and regulations.
Create BIM design from concept.
Detail and draft structures in Revit.
Maintain an engineering change notice (ECN) system.
Design HVAC and plumbing layouts on existing architectural xrefs.

Structural drafter example responsibilities.

Create as-built AutoCAD and Revit structural drawings for existing conditions.
Create CNC nesting programs for wood, plastic, and graphics.
Create automated schedules, sections, views and plans from Revit database content.
Produce molding samples, analyze pressure & temperature control, CNC part programme adjustments.
Inspect electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, mold, insulation, damages, & conditions of the house.
Develop elevations with horizontal and vertical section detail drawings.

Senior drafter vs structural drafter skills

Common senior drafter skills

Autocad, 25%
Layout Drawings, 7%
CAD Standards, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%
Aided Design, 4%
Revit, 4%

Common structural drafter skills

Revit, 25%
Shop Drawings, 11%
Structural Drawings, 8%
Elevations, 6%
BIM, 6%
Construction Drawings, 5%