How much should I pay a drafters, all other in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Drafters, All Other is $63,523 to $79,706 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows professional services wages growing about 2.5% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a drafters, all other?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $51,646 is below market, $63,523 to $79,706 is competitive, and above $79,706 is above market for Drafters, All Other.

How is drafters, all other pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI). Professional & Business Services is running a 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 2.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 5.8% to 5.0% over the past quarter.

Drafters, All Other Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 17-3019 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$63,523

$30.54/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Drafters salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$43K

P25$52K

P50$64K

P75$80K

P90$99K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

⚡

Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- professional & business services openings are at 5.0% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $63,523 to $79,706 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Drafters pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 2.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 5.8% to 5.0% over the past quarter.

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.3 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.

What changed recently

Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 5.0% (down 119K). BLS revised July up from 4.8% to 5.5%, so last month's third straight decline did not happen. Quits recovered to 2.1%; layoffs fell 56K.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings fell for a third month to 4.8% (June revised to 5.1%), and hires dropped 188K, the largest pullback of any sector. Quits slid to 1.8%.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Drafters, All Other is $63,523 per year ($30.54/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $51,646 and $79,706 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $99,382 per year. There are approximately 14,470 drafters, all other employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

All drafters not listed separately.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

-6.9%

Much slower than average

Annual openings

per year, on avg

Workforce today

17K

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
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) NAICS 3370A1	2K	$62,230
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services NAICS 541300	2K	$72,100
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) NAICS 3320A2	960	$62,150
Building Equipment Contractors NAICS 238200	850	$66,090
Employment Services NAICS 561300	490	$48,000

Wage range across top 5 industries: $48,000 to $72,100 (50% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$20.88	$43,430
P25	$24.83	$51,646
P50MEDIAN	$30.54	$63,523
P75	$38.32	$79,706
P90	$47.78	$99,382

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · professional sector

Active

Openings Rate

5.0%

Quits Rate

2.1%

Professional & Business Services openings fell 119K to 1.19M in August, rate 5.0%. BLS revised July up sharply, from 4.8% to 5.5%, so the three-month cooling reported last release did not happen: the sector is volatile, not in steady decline. Hires rose 36K, quits recovered to 2.1%, and layoffs fell 56K.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average drafters, all other salary?

The national median salary for Drafters, All Other is $63,523 per year ($30.54/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $51,646 and $79,706 annually.

How much do top-earning drafters, all other make?

The 90th percentile salary for Drafters, All Other is $99,382 per year ($47.78/hr). The 75th percentile is $79,706 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for drafters, all other?

Entry-level Drafters, All Other (10th percentile) earn approximately $43,430 per year ($20.88/hr). The 25th percentile is $51,646 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Civil Engineers17-2051$101K/yr Industrial Engineers17-2112$102K/yr Mechanical Engineers17-2141$104K/yr Electrical Engineers17-2071$121K/yr Engineers, All Other17-2199$123K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Drafters, All Other Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

Texas2,450 workers California1,750 workers Louisiana1,200 workers Florida670 workers Oregon660 workers

About This Data

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.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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