Mechanical Drafters pay in the U.S.
$75,060avg. a year
$36.09 an hour · 39,960 employed
Mechanical Drafters in the U.S. earn an average of $75,060 a year and a median of $71,550. Pay is highest in New Mexico ($98,460) and lowest in South Dakota ($56,030).
$71,550Median pay
$36.09Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
39,960Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for mechanical drafters
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
190 jobs
New Mexico
$98,460
$47.34 an hour
2580 jobs
Colorado
$93,270
$44.84 an hour
31,690 jobs
Washington
$87,150
$41.90 an hour
43,640 jobs
California
$86,750
$41.71 an hour
5420 jobs
Louisiana
$86,680
$41.67 an hour
6690 jobs
New Jersey
$86,540
$41.61 an hour
7360 jobs
Maryland
$81,200
$39.04 an hour
8410 jobs
Oregon
$80,870
$38.88 an hour
94,630 jobs
Texas
$80,450
$38.68 an hour
101,940 jobs
New York
$79,250
$38.10 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Mechanical Drafters pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $67k$67k–$71k$71k–$78k$78k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $101,310 | $48.71 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $98,950 | $47.57 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $98,470 | $47.34 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $94,930 | $45.64 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $91,660 | $44.07 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $90,030 | $43.28 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $88,290 | $42.45 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $86,410 | $41.54 |
Related jobs
- Architectural and Civil Drafters$70,740
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians$80,680
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians$70,700
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians$68,990
- Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other$80,960
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians$58,000
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Mechanical Drafters pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,230 | $53,600 | 440 |
| Arizona | $72,030 | $67,410 | 630 |
| Arkansas | $64,200 | $59,960 | 250 |
| California | $86,750 | $82,510 | 3,640 |
| Colorado | $93,270 | $85,280 | 580 |
| Connecticut | $71,180 | $68,830 | 450 |
| Delaware | $61,690 | $57,110 | 160 |
| Florida | $70,180 | $68,050 | 1,540 |
| Georgia | $74,150 | $66,670 | 820 |
| Idaho | $68,050 | $59,050 | 330 |
| Illinois | $71,290 | $63,320 | 450 |
| Indiana | $65,210 | $62,820 | 1,300 |
| Iowa | $66,820 | $63,330 | 630 |
| Kansas | $71,170 | $65,250 | 540 |
| Kentucky | $70,230 | $68,880 | 510 |
| Louisiana | $86,680 | $77,730 | 420 |
| Maine | $68,780 | $76,360 | 620 |
| Maryland | $81,200 | $76,740 | 360 |
| Massachusetts | $79,060 | $75,490 | 620 |
| Michigan | $75,920 | $72,280 | 2,030 |
| Minnesota | $73,850 | $73,090 | 1,220 |
| Mississippi | $66,140 | $60,460 | 260 |
| Missouri | $73,680 | $66,350 | 870 |
| Nebraska | $64,230 | $61,170 | 530 |
| Nevada | $78,230 | $75,830 | 250 |
| New Hampshire | $61,240 | $55,390 | – |
| New Jersey | $86,540 | $83,380 | 690 |
| New Mexico | $98,460 | $89,940 | 90 |
| New York | $79,250 | $76,490 | 1,940 |
| North Carolina | $62,030 | $59,050 | 1,350 |
| North Dakota | $77,950 | $77,570 | 100 |
| Ohio | $71,460 | $70,580 | 1,790 |
| Oklahoma | $66,330 | $63,440 | 650 |
| Oregon | $80,870 | $74,000 | 410 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,250 | $63,480 | 2,330 |
| Rhode Island | $70,850 | $69,290 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $72,080 | $63,740 | 640 |
| South Dakota | $56,030 | $52,610 | 100 |
| Tennessee | $68,100 | $63,390 | 740 |
| Texas | $80,450 | $79,380 | 4,630 |
| Utah | $72,730 | $70,000 | 490 |
| Vermont | $76,120 | $73,040 | 70 |
| Virginia | $71,730 | $69,630 | 630 |
| Washington | $87,150 | $76,820 | 1,690 |
| West Virginia | $70,340 | $65,100 | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $67,960 | $63,770 | 1,630 |
| Wyoming | $65,450 | $61,070 | 60 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$81,680
1,620 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$86,410
1,480 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$86,110
1,300 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$88,290
1,180 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$98,470
1,020 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$79,190
970 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$77,920
830 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$81,100
730 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do mechanical drafters make?
The average is $75,060 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $71,550 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $36.09, and the median is $34.40 an hour.
Which state pays mechanical drafters the most?
New Mexico, with an average of $98,460 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $101,310.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $48,360 a year, and the top 10% earn over $106,580.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 17-3013. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.