Architectural Drafter salary
What a architectural drafter actually earns, from 434 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
Switch the market above to see architectural drafter pay in the 2 countries our sources cover, each with its own cost of living. The trend, seniority, and state detail below are United States data, where the official record runs deepest.
What the number means
An architectural drafter earns a blended US median near 71,687 dollars, with the typical middle running from 59,468 dollars to 86,418 dollars. The official OEWS median is 64,280 dollars, under the posted figure, because the advertised roles skew senior or well-funded. The official trend has moved up about 14 percent since 2019. By seniority, posted pay runs from roughly 59,151 dollars to 65,804 dollars. Demand is rated high, and 0% of postings are fully remote. The nearest adjacent move on our skill graph is mep engineer, at 58 percent coverage; the instrument maps the rest.
Open architectural drafter roles
Live openings tagged to this occupation, from company career pages and remote boards. Apply at the source.
- CAD Technician - BridgeOlsson · Lincoln, NE; Omaha, NEJun 3
- Survey CAD TechnicianOlsson · Lincoln, NEMay 5
- Telecom Revit Designer - Data CentersOlsson · RemoteRemoteApr 13
- Revit Drafter - Data CenterOlsson · Cedar Rapids, IA; Council Bluffs, IA; Dallas, TX; Des MoinesFeb 26
- Civil CAD Technician - Federal Engineering and Design TeamOlsson · Arizona - Remote; Arkansas - Remote; Kansas - Remote; MissouRemoteJan 7
- CAD Technician (Airport Design)Olsson · Omaha, NEDec 31
By seniority
Posted-median pay by seniority signal in the title, from our corpus. Noisy at the edges where sample sizes are small.
By country
- United States$59,468 – $86,418 · median $71,687
- United Kingdom$50,041 – $63,261 · median $57,135
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- Coloradomedian $76,960
- New Yorkmedian $74,760
- Washingtonmedian $65,140
- Oklahomamedian $63,050
- Utahmedian $62,350
- Kansasmedian $60,940
Is your offer fair?
Run a specific number through FairElephant, which weighs it against this data, your location, and remote market rates.
Related salaries
- MEP Engineer salary$107,790 median
- Industrial Designer salary$96,723 median
- Interior Designer salary$74,976 median
Quick answers
How much does an architectural drafter make?
The blended US median is about 71,687 dollars, with a typical range from 59,468 dollars to 86,418 dollars, against an official OEWS median of 64,280 dollars.
Is architectural drafter a good career in 2026?
Demand for the role is rated high in our July 2026 corpus, with 0% of postings fully remote. The pay is shown above by seniority and by country.
What can an architectural drafter move into?
The nearest adjacent role on our skill graph is mep engineer, at 58 percent skill coverage. Run the instrument for the full set of reachable moves.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 17-3011. Live corpus 434 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.