Architectural and Civil Drafters Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 17-3011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$66,144
$31.80/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Architectural and Civil Drafters is $66,144 per year ($31.80/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $55,661 and $80,870 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $99,715 per year. There are approximately 103,700 architectural and civil drafters employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.1%
Faster than average
Annual openings
10K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
111K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
73K
$65,980
Residential Building Construction
NAICS 236100
4K
$64,370
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
2K
$77,500
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
2K
$73,060
Building Equipment Contractors
NAICS 238200
2K
$75,950
Wage range across top 5 industries: $64,370 to $77,500 (20% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.24
$46,259
P25
$26.76
$55,661
P50MEDIAN
$31.80
$66,144
P75
$38.88
$80,870
P90
$47.94
$99,715
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average architectural and civil drafters salary?
The national median salary for Architectural and Civil Drafters is $66,144 per year ($31.80/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $55,661 and $80,870 annually.
How much do top-earning architectural and civil drafters make?
The 90th percentile salary for Architectural and Civil Drafters is $99,715 per year ($47.94/hr). The 75th percentile is $80,870 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for architectural and civil drafters?
Entry-level Architectural and Civil Drafters (10th percentile) earn approximately $46,259 per year ($22.24/hr). The 25th percentile is $55,661 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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