Last updated September 2026. Wage figures are the BLS May 2025 release, the newest federal data available.
Budget a CAD designer salary in 2026 as a drafter wage, not as a licensed engineer wage. The BLS Drafters page puts the median at $68,090 a year in May 2025, $32.74 an hour. The lowest tenth earned less than $46,700. The highest tenth earned more than $102,590.
| CAD designer salary at a glance | BLS figure |
|---|---|
| Median annual pay, all drafters | $68,090 (May 2025) |
| Median hourly pay | $32.74 |
| Mean annual pay | $72,590 |
| Lowest 10 percent | Less than $46,700 |
| Highest 10 percent | More than $102,590 |
| Highest paid specialty | Electrical and electronics drafters, $76,870 |
| Largest specialty | Architectural and civil drafters, $66,150 and about 104,100 jobs |
| Jobs in 2025 | About 180,200 |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | Plus 1 percent, about 14,400 openings a year |
| Typical entry education | Associate’s degree |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Drafters, and BLS OEWS May 2025. BLS has no CAD designer title, so these are the Drafters figures (SOC 17-3010).
BLS has no SOC title named CAD designer. You still post that title. You still hear CAD drafter, AutoCAD operator, Revit technician, and designer as if they were different census rows. They are not. Pay lands under Drafters, SOC 17-3010, then under the detailed seats for architectural and civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics, or all other.
Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Reddit threads mix those titles, mix base with total pay, and mix one posting with a national average. That is why they fail you in a budget meeting. They cannot tell you which BLS seat you are buying.
You are pricing production. A person who turns an engineer or architect sketch into a package the shop, the fabricator, or the field can build. Set the band from BLS, then move it for specialty, seniority proxy, software the person will live in, and the state where they will sit.
What this guide covers:
- The 2026 budget number by specialty, annual and hourly.
- Entry level, mid, and lead CAD designer pay bands from BLS percentiles.
- How AutoCAD, Revit, and SolidWorks seats map to a BLS wage row.
- How state, metro, and industry move the band.
- How CAD designer pay compares with engineers, architects, and technicians.
- Contract versus FTE, and a five step method to set the band.
What should you budget for a CAD designer salary in 2026?
Start with the May 2025 BLS median of $68,090 for all drafters, then pick the specialty that matches the work. Electrical and electronics drafters sat at $76,870. Mechanical drafters sat at $71,550. Architectural and civil drafters sat at $66,150. Drafters, all other, sat at $63,520.
| Specialty | BLS SOC | Median annual wage, May 2025 | Median hourly wage | What you usually post |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronics drafters | 17-3012 | $76,870 | $36.96 | Electrical CAD designer, electrical drafter, panel or wiring package production |
| Mechanical drafters | 17-3013 | $71,550 | $34.40 | Mechanical CAD designer, SolidWorks production, machine or product drafting |
| Architectural and civil drafters | 17-3011 | $66,150 | $31.80 | Architectural CAD designer, civil drafter, AutoCAD or Revit production |
| Drafters, all other | 17-3019 | $63,520 | Not shown | Mixed production seats that do not fit the three detailed SOCs |
| All drafters | 17-3010 | $68,090 | $32.74 | Blended CAD designer or CAD drafter req with no specialty named |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and OEWS, May 2025.
If finance wants one number for “the CAD person,” give them a band, not a point. A production CAD designer in an architecture and engineering office is not the same buy as an electrical drafter on a power package. Using one blended number is how you overpay a junior 2D seat or lose a checking lead on the first call.
Typical entry education in the Occupational Outlook Handbook is an associate’s degree. Do not write a PE into a production req. Do not post $45,000 in Boston for a person who will own a Revit model and then blame the market.
Architectural and civil is the volume seat. The Handbook put about 104,100 of those jobs in 2025, against about 42,100 mechanical, 18,900 electrical and electronics, and 15,200 all other. Do not set a mechanical or electrical band from the architectural median because that is where the headcount sits.
Employment was about 180,200 drafter jobs in 2025. Outlook from 2025 to 2035 is plus 1 percent, slower than average, with about 14,400 openings a year, mostly replacement. That flat headline hides a split. Architectural and civil drafters are projected to grow 5 percent. Mechanical drafters are projected to fall 6 percent, electrical and electronics 3 percent, and all other 7 percent.
| Specialty | Jobs, 2025 | Projected jobs, 2035 | Change | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and civil drafters | 104,100 | 109,500 | Plus 5,400 | Plus 5 |
| Mechanical drafters | 42,100 | 39,600 | Minus 2,500 | Minus 6 |
| Electrical and electronics drafters | 18,900 | 18,200 | Minus 600 | Minus 3 |
| Drafters, all other | 15,200 | 14,100 | Minus 1,100 | Minus 7 |
| All drafters | 180,200 | 181,400 | Plus 1,100 | Plus 1 |
Source: BLS employment projections for drafters, 2025 to 2035. Values are rounded by BLS and may not sum.
CAD and BIM raise output per person, and BLS says engineers and architects now do some tasks drafters used to do. Architectural and civil drafters are used more in early design than other specialties, which is why that row still grows. Headcount can stay flat or shrink while you still replace people every year. A shrinking specialty is not a cheap specialty. Electrical pays the most and is the smallest pool.
What is the CAD designer hourly rate in 2026?
The median CAD designer hourly rate, read as the BLS Drafters wage, is $32.74 in May 2025. By specialty the median hour is $36.96 electrical and electronics, $34.40 mechanical, and $31.80 architectural and civil. The table gives the full hourly spread, which is the number you need when the seat is nonexempt, part time, or on contract.
| Hourly wage, May 2025 | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and civil drafters | $22.24 | $26.76 | $31.80 | $38.88 | $47.94 |
| Mechanical drafters | $23.25 | $27.93 | $34.40 | $41.41 | $51.24 |
| Electrical and electronics drafters | $24.06 | $29.53 | $36.96 | $46.50 | $57.83 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national percentile wages, as published by O*NET OnLine.
These are wages paid to the employee. They are not contractor bill rates. A staffing hour carries payroll taxes, benefits, and the vendor margin on top of the wage, so a bill rate will always sit above the numbers in this table. Compare wage to wage and loaded hour to loaded hour.
What is the average CAD drafter salary?
The average CAD drafter salary you should put in a 2026 plan is the BLS Drafters median, $68,090 a year in May 2025, unless you have a specialty. Mean wages run higher than medians because the right tail pulls them. May 2025 OEWS put the Drafters group at a mean of $72,590 against that $68,090 median.
The same gap shows inside each specialty. In the prior survey year, May 2024 OEWS, architectural and civil drafters had a mean of $68,860 against a median of $64,280. Mechanical mean $74,040 against median $68,510. Electrical and electronics mean $77,960 against median $73,720.
Budget from the median unless you already know you are buying the right tail. Means are useful when you are filling a lead CAD designer or a scarce electrical seat. They are a weak number for a junior production hire.
May 2025 OEWS for the Drafters group reported about 176,060 jobs, a mean hourly wage of $34.90, and a median hourly wage of $32.74. The Handbook counts about 180,200 jobs because its projections base is broader than the OEWS wage survey, which leaves out the self employed. The all drafter median moved from $65,380 in May 2024 to $68,090 in May 2025, a rise of about 4 percent. Treat that as a later survey year, not a different occupation.
Job board figures sit near those bands. They do not replace them.
| Source | Figure | Sample and date | What it really measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS, all drafters | $68,090 a year, $32.74 an hour | Employer survey, May 2025 | Wages employers actually paid, by SOC, percentile, state, and industry |
| Indeed, CAD designer | About $30.10 an hour | Roughly 1,800 salaries, around June 2026 | Posted and self reported pay under one job title |
| Indeed, CAD drafter | About $26.27 an hour | Indeed salary page, 2026 | Posted and self reported pay under one job title |
| Indeed, Revit designer | About $32.38 an hour | About 165 salaries | Small sample, soft signal for BIM production |
| Glassdoor, CAD Designer | About $81,395 total pay, base near $60,180 | About 2,218 submissions, around April 2025 | Self reported, mixed titles, additional pay stacked on base |
Job board figures are posting signals, not wage surveys. Use them to sanity check a posting. Do not let them override BLS tables.
If someone drops a Glassdoor screenshot into Slack and calls it the market, ask which SOC, which percentile, and which state. If they cannot answer, you do not have a band. You have a screenshot.
How does entry level CAD designer salary differ from mid and lead?
BLS percentiles are a distribution, not a years of experience ladder. A 25th percentile earner is not “two years.” A 90th percentile earner is not “a manager.” For hiring manager math, use the percentiles as a proxy, then check the work.
| Annual wage, May 2025 | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and civil drafters | $46,260 | $55,650 | $66,150 | $80,870 | $99,710 |
| Mechanical drafters | $48,360 | $58,080 | $71,550 | $86,120 | $106,580 |
| Electrical and electronics drafters | $50,040 | $61,430 | $76,870 | $96,730 | $120,290 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national percentile wages, as published by O*NET OnLine.
Entry level CAD designer salary, and junior drafter pay, should sit near the 10th to 25th percentile for the matching specialty. Mid level production CAD designer or CAD drafter pay should sit near the median to the 75th. Lead CAD designer salary, checking lead pay, or BIM lead pay often sits toward the 75th to 90th, especially with Revit coordination, SolidWorks design ownership, or electrical specialty. It is still not a PE salary.
| Seniority proxy | Percentile band | Architectural and civil | Mechanical | Electrical and electronics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level, junior production | 10th to 25th | $46,260 to $55,650 | $48,360 to $58,080 | $50,040 to $61,430 |
| Mid, production CAD designer or CAD drafter | 50th to 75th | $66,150 to $80,870 | $71,550 to $86,120 | $76,870 to $96,730 |
| Lead CAD designer, checking lead, BIM lead | 75th to 90th | $80,870 to $99,710 | $86,120 to $106,580 | $96,730 to $120,290 |
Bands built from BLS OEWS May 2025 percentiles. The seniority labels are a hiring proxy, not a BLS definition.
Read the table as a budget range, not a raise chart. A new associate with clean AutoCAD habits can sit above the 10th if the local market is tight. A person with ten years of tracing 2D and no checking skill can sit under the median. Years in the seat are a weak proxy for the work.
In the interview, ask what they last issued. A sheet, a model, a checked package. Ask who stamped it. Ask which software they lived in last year, not which logos they listed. On a reference, ask the last checker whether they would take the same package again without extra review. That is how you tell an entry level CAD designer from a lead.
If you post “CAD designer, 3 to 5 years, competitive pay,” you will get a pile. Name the specialty, the software, what they own in 90 days, and the band from the table above. Employed people who can actually check a package are not browsing your listing. How you reach them is outreach, not a job post. That sequence lives on how to recruit.
What does AutoCAD drafter or designer pay look like vs Revit?
BLS does not break AutoCAD versus Revit versus SolidWorks. There is no official auto CAD drafter salary series, and no official auto CAD designer salary series. If you need a government number, you are still in Drafters.
AutoCAD production often maps to architectural and civil drafters or mechanical drafters. A civil site package in AutoCAD is an architectural and civil seat. A machine layout in AutoCAD or SolidWorks is a mechanical seat. An electrical single line or panel package is electrical and electronics. The software is a tool. The SOC follows the work.
| What the person produces | Tool they usually live in | BLS seat | Median, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building plans, sections, details | AutoCAD or Revit | 17-3011 | $66,150 |
| BIM model production and coordination | Revit | 17-3011 | $66,150, market often clears above |
| Site, grading, and roadway sheets | AutoCAD or Civil 3D | 17-3011 | $66,150 |
| Machine, part, and assembly drawings | SolidWorks or AutoCAD | 17-3013 | $71,550 |
| Single lines, panels, wiring diagrams | AutoCAD or AutoCAD Electrical | 17-3012 | $76,870 |
| Circuit board layout | PCB layout tools | 17-3012 | $76,870 |
The mapping is a hiring shortcut. BLS classifies by the work performed, not by software. Medians are BLS May 2025.
Hiring managers who type auto CAD drafter salary or auto CAD designer salary are usually pricing that production AutoCAD seat. Use the matching specialty row, not a separate AutoCAD premium you invented.
Revit and BIM coordination often pay above plain 2D drafting in architecture and engineering markets. That is market practice, not a BLS series. Indeed’s Revit designer average near $32.38 an hour sat a little above its CAD designer average near $30.10 an hour, on a much smaller sample. Treat that as a soft signal that BIM production and coordination clear a bit more than generic CAD designer pay. Do not build a 15 percent Revit adder and call it OEWS.
SolidWorks design ownership often sits in the mechanical row. It can push toward the 75th to 90th if the person owns the model, not only the drawing. A SolidWorks operator who only details someone else’s design is still a production drafter.
Do not write AutoCAD, Revit, and SolidWorks on one req as if that is one person. That is how you hire a generalist who is average in three tools and owns none of the packages. Pick the system they will live in. Screen on the last issued set, not on a software list.
How do region and industry change CAD pay bands?
State medians move the band. They do not rewrite the specialty. The table below is architectural and civil drafters, the volume CAD seat, from May 2024 OEWS state data. Figures are nominal. They are not cost of living adjusted. High pay states often have high housing.
| Area | Median annual wage, architectural and civil drafters, May 2024 OEWS | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $88,430 | High nominal, small market, federal and design firm density |
| Alaska | $85,700 | High nominal, small market |
| Colorado | $76,960 | Above national |
| Massachusetts | $75,850 | Above national |
| New York | $74,760 | Above national, high housing |
| California | $74,390 | High volume, high housing |
| United States | $64,280 | National median for this SOC in May 2024. The May 2025 national median is $66,150 |
| Texas | $61,530 | High volume, below national median |
| Florida | $61,080 | High volume, below national median |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 state estimates. Compare each state with the May 2024 national row, not with the May 2025 tables above.
If you copy a California number onto a Texas req, you will overpay. If you copy a Texas number onto a Boston Revit lead, you will not see the people you want. Volume states can sit below the national median and still be hard to fill in the metros where the offices sit.
A state does not rank the same way for every specialty. Texas sits below the national median for architectural and civil drafters. For mechanical drafters it sits above it. The May 2025 Texas median for mechanical drafters was $79,380 against $71,550 nationally, and the metros spread wider than the state.
| Mechanical drafters, May 2025 | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $58,080 | $71,550 | $86,120 |
| Texas | $61,710 | $79,380 | $93,600 |
| Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington | $71,740 | $83,200 | $93,600 |
| Houston, Pasadena, The Woodlands | $62,360 | $78,820 | $100,300 |
| Austin, Round Rock, San Marcos | $58,660 | $77,160 | $95,620 |
| San Antonio, New Braunfels | $60,860 | $78,110 | $88,500 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and metro wages, as published by O*NET OnLine. One state shown as a worked example. Pull the same rows for your own state and specialty.
Industry moves the band too. Construction can clear more than a manufacturing detailing seat. An architecture and engineering office is the middle of that stack, and it is where about half of all drafter jobs, and a lot of AutoCAD and Revit production, live.
| Industry | Median annual wage, drafters, May 2025 | Share of drafter jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | $70,640 | 13 percent |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | $68,090 | 49 percent |
| Manufacturing | $65,370 | 21 percent |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | $61,360 | 2 percent |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Drafters, May 2025 wages and 2025 employment.
Do not average California and Florida and call it your national offer. Pick the state, pick the specialty, then set the percentile from the work. A lead CAD designer doing Revit coordination in Massachusetts is not a junior AutoCAD production hire in Florida.
How does CAD designer pay compare with engineers, architects, and technicians?
A CAD designer salary at the top of the drafter distribution is still below typical licensed engineer pay. Mechanical engineers had a May 2025 median of $104,110. Electrical and electronics engineers sat at $125,040. Architects sat at $99,280. The closer comparison is the engineering technician rows, which sit in the same band as drafters and compete for the same two year graduates.
| Occupation | Median annual wage, May 2025 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronics engineers | $125,040 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Mechanical engineers | $104,110 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Architects | $99,280 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Industrial designers | $83,910 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians | $78,190 | Associate’s degree |
| Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians | $74,510 | Associate’s degree |
| Drafters, the CAD designer seat | $68,090 | Associate’s degree |
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | $64,950 | Associate’s degree |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, similar occupations for Drafters, May 2025.
If the req asks for engineering judgment, a stamp, or design authority, you are not buying a drafter and the drafter band will not fill it. If it asks for production, do not pay an engineer band for it. For how licensed disciplines rank against each other, use the engineering pay ranking once, then come back. This page stays on CAD designer, CAD drafter, and AutoCAD or Revit production.
How do you set a CAD designer pay band in five steps?
- Name the BLS seat. Architectural and civil, mechanical, or electrical and electronics. The work decides, not the software.
- Pick the percentile from the work. 10th to 25th for junior production, median to 75th for a production CAD designer, 75th to 90th for a checking or BIM lead.
- Move it for the state and metro. Pull the OEWS row for where the person will sit. Do not average states.
- Check the industry. Construction runs above architecture and engineering offices, which run above manufacturing.
- Choose the vehicle last. FTE, contract, or contract to hire. Price the contract as a loaded hour against the band you just set.
Write the result as a range with a low, a target, and a walk away number. Then sanity check it against two or three live postings in your metro. If the postings and the BLS band disagree by a wide margin, check whether the postings are really the same seat before you move the band.
How should CAD staffing and contract vs FTE fit your budget?
Set the wage band first. Pick the vehicle second. FTE salary is what BLS measures. A contract rate is a loaded hour. They are not the same number divided by 2,080.
A standing production seat, a checker you will still need next year, a BIM lead who owns the office standard, belongs on FTE at the BLS band for that specialty and percentile. A project spike, a model conversion, a deadline the in house team cannot hit, or coverage while you hire, belongs on contract. Contract to hire is a trial with a written decision date, not a way to dodge a band.
| Vehicle | Use it for | What you price | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTE, direct hire | Standing production seat, checker, BIM lead who owns the office standard | Annual salary at the BLS band for the specialty and percentile | Writing engineer requirements into a production req |
| Contract | Project spike, model conversion, deadline the team cannot hit, coverage while you hire | Loaded hour, compared with the FTE band you already set | Comparing a bill rate with a wage as if they were the same number |
| Contract to hire | A seat you expect to keep but want to see on real packages first | Loaded hour now, salary band agreed up front | No written decision date |
Apollo Technical is a specialized engineering and IT staffing firm. The live CAD product is CAD staffing for design and drafting seats on contract, contract to hire, or direct hire. Broader engineering seats sit on engineering staffing. Permanent placement is pay on hire. You pay only if you hire. This page will not invent a fee percent, a markup, or a bill rate.
If you need a contractor hour, price the loaded hour with the vendor against the FTE band you already set. A $35 contractor who cannot check a package is more expensive than a $42 person who can.
Do not run five firms on one CAD designer req. Two desks with different networks can help. Five desks calling the same AutoCAD people in 48 hours looks like a company that cannot keep its story straight. Bring the specialty, the software they will live in, the salary band, the interview days, and whether a second firm is already on the req.
A vacant CAD designer costs the queue. The AutoCAD package sits in checking. The fabricator waits. A fast bad slate costs the same seat plus a burned calendar.
CAD designer salary FAQ: short answers hiring managers keep asking
What should you budget for a CAD designer salary in 2026?
Start at the May 2025 BLS Drafters median of $68,090, then move by specialty. Electrical near $76,870, mechanical near $71,550, architectural and civil near $66,150. BLS has no CAD designer SOC. You are buying a drafter seat under the title you post.
How much does a CAD designer make an hour?
The BLS median for drafters is $32.74 an hour in May 2025. By specialty the median hour is $36.96 electrical and electronics, $34.40 mechanical, and $31.80 architectural and civil. The middle half of architectural and civil drafters earned $26.76 to $38.88 an hour. Those are wages, not contractor bill rates.
What is the average CAD drafter salary?
Use $68,090 a year, May 2025, for all drafters unless you have a specialty. The mean was $72,590 because high earners pull it up. May 2025 medians were $66,150 architectural and civil, $71,550 mechanical, and $76,870 electrical and electronics. Job board averages sit near those bands and do not override them.
How much is entry level CAD designer salary versus lead CAD designer salary?
Entry level CAD designer salary should sit near the 10th to 25th percentile for the matching specialty, $46,260 to $55,650 for architectural and civil in May 2025. Lead CAD designer salary often sits toward the 75th to 90th, $80,870 to $99,710 for the same seat. Percentiles are a distribution, not a years ladder. A lead CAD designer is still not a PE.
Which CAD specialty pays the most?
Electrical and electronics drafters, at a May 2025 median of $76,870 and a 90th percentile of $120,290. Mechanical follows at $71,550, then architectural and civil at $66,150. Electrical is also the smallest pool, about 18,900 jobs, so expect a longer search.
Is a CAD designer the same as a CAD drafter?
For pay data, yes. BLS and O*NET list CAD designer, CAD operator, CAD technician, and drafter as titles inside the same Drafters occupations. Employers often use designer for a person who owns more of the layout decisions, and that person should sit higher in the percentile band. It is the same wage table.
Does AutoCAD pay less than Revit?
BLS does not say. AutoCAD production maps to architectural and civil or mechanical drafter SOCs. Revit and BIM coordination often clear more than plain 2D in architecture and engineering offices. Indeed’s small Revit designer sample sat a bit above its CAD designer average. That is a soft signal, not an OEWS row.
Which states pay CAD drafters the most?
For architectural and civil drafters in May 2024 OEWS, the District of Columbia ($88,430) and Alaska ($85,700) led, followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and California in the mid $70,000s. Texas and Florida sat below the national median. Rankings change by specialty. Texas pays mechanical drafters above the national median.
Should you use contract or FTE for a CAD designer?
FTE for a standing seat at the BLS band. Contract for a spike, a conversion, or coverage. Contract to hire only with a written decision date. Price contractor hours as loaded hours. Do not invent a markup from this page.
Will CAD and BIM cut the number of drafters you need?
Outlook is plus 1 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,400 openings a year mostly from replacement. Architectural and civil drafters are projected to grow 5 percent while mechanical drafters fall 6 percent. CAD and BIM raise output per person. You may need fewer bodies on a mechanical 2D stack and a stronger checker on the Revit model. You still replace people.
If you want a pay on hire search for a CAD designer or CAD drafter, bring the specialty, the software they will live in, the band, and whether the seat is FTE or contract. You pay only if you hire. Do not pick a partner from a job board average.
