Architecture & Engineering
Architectural & Civil Drafters
SOC 17-3011
Turn engineering and architectural designs into buildable drawings.
The job
Median pay
$66k
$56k to $81k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+5.2% projected
Openings a year
9k
BLS projection
Typical education
Associate's
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
4/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
62nd pct
More exposed than 62% of occupations · modeled estimate · 74th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
51/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 11,710 | 0.8 | 1.3× | $63k |
| California | 11,400 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $77k |
| Florida | 7,530 | 0.8 | 1.1× | $63k |
| New York | 7,380 | 0.8 | 1.1× | $76k |
| Pennsylvania | 5,370 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $65k |
| Georgia | 3,970 | 0.8 | 1.2× | $75k |
| Colorado | 3,570 | 1.2 | 1.9× | $76k |
| Ohio | 2,860 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $61k |
| North Carolina | 2,680 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $63k |
| Massachusetts | 2,660 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $77k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 2,600 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $63k |
| Washington | 2,530 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $73k |
| New Jersey | 2,280 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $63k |
| Missouri | 2,270 | 0.8 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Indiana | 2,240 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Wisconsin | 2,200 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Arizona | 2,120 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Michigan | 2,100 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $58k |
| Minnesota | 1,930 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $71k |
| Utah | 1,820 | 1.0 | 1.6× | $64k |
| Oregon | 1,490 | 0.8 | 1.1× | $74k |
| Illinois | 1,310 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $58k |
| Tennessee | 1,310 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $69k |
| Oklahoma | 1,260 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $62k |
| South Carolina | 1,170 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $65k |
| Nevada | 1,100 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $67k |
| Louisiana | 1,040 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $61k |
| Alabama | 1,010 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $57k |
| Idaho | 1,010 | 1.2 | 1.8× | $62k |
| Arkansas | 980 | 0.8 | 1.1× | $62k |
| Iowa | 980 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Maryland | 910 | 0.3 | 0.5× | $75k |
| Kentucky | 870 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $60k |
| Nebraska | 850 | 0.8 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Connecticut | 810 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $76k |
| New Mexico | 690 | 0.8 | 1.2× | $50k |
| Kansas | 630 | 0.4 | 0.7× | $62k |
| Hawaii | 610 | 1.0 | 1.5× | $64k |
| Montana | 600 | 1.2 | 1.8× | $66k |
| South Dakota | 460 | 1.0 | 1.5× | $52k |
| Maine | 440 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $66k |
| New Hampshire | 400 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $65k |
| North Dakota | 380 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $65k |
| Washington DC | 370 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $98k |
| Mississippi | 330 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $60k |
| West Virginia | 330 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $66k |
| Delaware | 290 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $73k |
| Rhode Island | 240 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $72k |
| Vermont | 230 | 0.8 | 1.1× | $61k |
| Alaska | 220 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $71k~ |
| Wyoming | 200 | 0.7 | 1.1× | $64k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ6,710 jobs · $77k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX4,130 jobs · $63k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA3,890 jobs · $77k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,360 jobs · $67k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA2,170 jobs · $74k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH2,150 jobs · $79k median
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO2,120 jobs · $80k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2,110 jobs · $67k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Architectural & Civil Drafters interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.