Talent Maps / San Antonio / CAD Designers and Drafters

San Antonio CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)

What CAD designers and drafters earn in San Antonio, real posted pay ranges, the software in demand and why local employers have to train their own drafters.

Hiring CAD designers in San Antonio?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers CAD designers and drafters in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), alongside real pay ranges from San Antonio postings in October 2026. Our CAD recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our CAD designer salary guide and our San Antonio architect, civil engineer and electrical engineer talent maps.

$78,530Median pay for electrical and electronics drafters in San Antonio, against $76,870 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$78,110Median pay for mechanical drafters in San Antonio, against $71,550 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$58,750Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in San Antonio, against $66,150 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$95,000Top of the posted range for a heavy civil CAD technicianJob posting, October 2026

$38.95Hourly pay posted for an electrical project designer working in RevitJob posting, October 2026

0Alamo Colleges with a drafting program in their 2026-27 catalogsAlamo Colleges catalogs

CAD designer and drafter salaries in San Antonio

Electrical and mechanical drafters are the best paid in San Antonio, with medians near $78,000, both above the national figures. The top 10% of mechanical drafters earn $103,320 or more. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $58,750, below the Texas median of $63,320 and well below Austin’s $74,230.

Specialty (San Antonio metro)	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	US median
Electrical and electronics drafters	$48,980	$62,570	$78,530	$81,740	$92,540	$76,870
Mechanical drafters	$50,680	$60,860	$78,110	$88,500	$103,320	$71,550
Civil engineering technicians	$42,810	$52,110	$63,560	$80,230	$87,710	$64,950
Drafters, all other	$34,320	$48,360	$60,950	$64,590	$79,010	$63,520
Architectural and civil drafters	$45,660	$52,190	$58,750	$74,240	$91,010	$66,150

Annual pay. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

What San Antonio CAD jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Software	Posted pay
E-Z Bel Construction, CAD Technician, heavy civil	Trimble Business Center	$75,000 to $95,000
Alterman, Project Designer 1, electrical (Live Oak)	Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD	$38.95 an hour
TRC, Distribution Designer III, CPS Energy distribution work	MicroStation, GIS	$31.01 to $38.00 an hour
ARCXIS, Drafter 1	AutoCAD	$22 to $26 an hour
A-Lert Roof Systems, Design Detailer CAD Draftsperson (New Braunfels)	AutoCAD 2D	$21 to $25 an hour
The Rios Group, Engineering CAD Technician (Universal City)	AutoCAD, OpenRoads Designer, MicroStation	From $20 an hour
ARCXIS, Land Survey Drafter Trainee	AutoCAD	$16 to $19 an hour

Postings from direct employers, live in early October 2026.

What the postings show: heavy civil, electrical and utility designers earn the most, while general AutoCAD drafting roles start near $20 an hour. Employers also hire trainees and teach them on the job.

The software San Antonio employers ask for

AutoCAD for survey, civil and detailing work, asked for by ARCXIS, The Rios Group, Alterman and A-Lert Roof Systems.
MicroStation and OpenRoads Designer for utility and roadway plans at The Rios Group and TRC.
Revit and Navisworks for electrical building design at Alterman.
Trimble Business Center for heavy civil construction at E-Z Bel.
GIS for electric distribution design at TRC.

Where San Antonio’s CAD designers work

Survey and utility engineering firms

ARCXIS hires drafters and survey drafter trainees in San Antonio, and The Rios Group hires CAD technicians for subsurface utility engineering in Universal City.

Utilities

TRC hires distribution designers for CPS Energy distribution work, using MicroStation and GIS.

Contractors

E-Z Bel Construction hires heavy civil CAD technicians, Alterman hires electrical project designers in Live Oak, and A-Lert Roof Systems hires design detailers in New Braunfels.

Architecture firms and hospitals

Architecture firms hire Revit designers for projects such as University Health’s new hospitals. See our San Antonio architect talent map.

Where the talent sits: San Antonio submarkets

North Central and the airport

CivilSurvey

ARCXIS and E-Z Bel Construction both posted CAD roles in the 78216 zip code, near the airport’s Terminal C program.

Downtown and near northwest

UtilitiesSports

TRC’s distribution designer role is in 78201. The $1.3 billion Spurs arena is planned downtown.

Live Oak and Universal City

ElectricalUtility engineering

Alterman’s electrical project designers in Live Oak and The Rios Group’s CAD technicians in Universal City.

New Braunfels

DetailingManufacturing

A-Lert Roof Systems hires design detailers working in AutoCAD 2D.

Northside and Northeast

K-12Healthcare

North East ISD’s $483 million bond, Northside ISD’s proposed $886 million bond and University Health’s Retama hospital.

What’s driving demand for CAD designers in San Antonio

Spurs arena. The $1.3 billion arena has Overland International as arena architect and Pape-Dawson as civil engineer.
Airport. Terminal C will have 18 gates and more than 850,000 square feet, with opening due in mid-2028.
Hospitals. University Health’s Retama and Palo Alto hospitals, on a combined $1.53 billion budget, open in 2027.
Schools. North East ISD passed $483 million in 2025, and Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD have proposed bonds on the November 2026 ballot.
Utilities. TRC is hiring distribution designers for CPS Energy distribution work.

Where new drafters are trained

No Alamo Colleges drafting program. San Antonio College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Northeast Lakeview College list no drafting program in their 2026-27 catalogs. San Antonio College’s CADD Technology associate degree appears only in an archived catalog.
St. Philip’s College. St. Philip’s still teaches two drafting courses, DFTG 1310 and DFTG 1409. DFTG 1310 is an option within its 60-hour Construction Technology associate degree.
Austin Community College. The nearest large program, ACC teaches architectural, civil and mechanical CAD in Austin.
Texas State Technical College. TSTC offers drafting and design at Waco and online, among other campuses.

What this means if you’re hiring

Plan to train. With no current Alamo Colleges drafting program, trainee roles like ARCXIS’s are one way to build a bench.
Pay by specialty. Electrical and mechanical drafters earn about $20,000 more at the median than architectural and civil drafters.
Test before you hire. A short drawing exercise shows more than a resume. Read our guide on how to hire a CAD designer.
Watch Austin. Austin pays architectural and civil drafters about $15,500 more at the median, so expect experienced candidates to compare offers.

Need CAD designers in San Antonio?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place civil, electrical, mechanical and BIM designers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 512.686.1181 or see our San Antonio engineering recruiters page.

Hire CAD designers

Frequently asked questions

How much do CAD designers make in San Antonio?

It depends on the specialty. In San Antonio, electrical drafters earn a median of $78,530, mechanical drafters $78,110 and architectural and civil drafters $58,750, according to May 2025 BLS data. See our CAD designer salary guide for national figures.

Do CAD designers earn more in San Antonio or Austin?

Mostly Austin. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $74,230 in Austin against $58,750 in San Antonio, and electrical drafters $84,680 against $78,530. Mechanical drafters earn slightly more in San Antonio: $78,110 against $77,160.

Where can I study drafting in San Antonio?

Options are limited. None of the Alamo Colleges lists a drafting program in its 2026-27 catalog, though St. Philip’s College teaches two drafting courses within its Construction Technology degree.

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