Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 17-3012 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$76,877
$36.96/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Electrical and Electronics Drafters is $76,877 per year ($36.96/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $61,422 and $96,720 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $120,286 per year. There are approximately 17,920 electrical and electronics drafters employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-5.6%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
22K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
5K
$77,730
Building Equipment Contractors
NAICS 238200
3K
$73,370
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
NAICS 221100
2K
$83,190
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing
NAICS 334400
1K
$98,820
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing
NAICS 334500
720
$81,730
Wage range across top 5 industries: $73,370 to $98,820 (35% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$24.06
$50,045
P25
$29.53
$61,422
P50MEDIAN
$36.96
$76,877
P75
$46.50
$96,720
P90
$57.83
$120,286
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 electrical and electronics drafters salary?
The national median salary for Electrical and Electronics Drafters is $76,877 per year ($36.96/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $61,422 and $96,720 annually.
How much do top-earning electrical and electronics drafters make?
The 90th percentile salary for Electrical and Electronics Drafters is $120,286 per year ($57.83/hr). The 75th percentile is $96,720 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for electrical and electronics drafters?
Entry-level Electrical and Electronics Drafters (10th percentile) earn approximately $50,045 per year ($24.06/hr). The 25th percentile is $61,422 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.