Talent Maps / Chicago / CAD Designers and Drafters
Chicago CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)
What CAD designers and drafters earn in Chicago, real posted pay ranges, the software in demand and the airport, transit and water projects keeping local drafters busy.
Hiring CAD designers in Chicago?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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), alongside real pay ranges from Chicago postings in October 2026. Illinois requires employers with 15 or more employees to include pay in job postings, so most local listings show a range. Our CAD recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our CAD designer salary guide and our Chicago architect, civil engineer and electrical engineer talent maps.
CAD designer and drafter salaries in Chicago
Civil engineering technicians are the best paid in this group in Chicago, with a median of $81,360, about $16,400 above the national median. Mechanical drafters earn a median of $72,540, slightly above the national figure. Electrical drafters ($69,500) and architectural and civil drafters ($58,800) earn less than their national peers, and architectural and civil drafters earn about $15,400 less than in Atlanta.
| Specialty (Chicago metro) | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil engineering technicians | $51,940 | $64,100 | $81,360 | $100,440 | $126,520 | $64,950 |
| Mechanical drafters | $52,110 | $62,930 | $72,540 | $88,220 | $98,230 | $71,550 |
| Electrical and electronics drafters | $53,500 | $62,820 | $69,500 | $96,540 | $100,370 | $76,870 |
| Architectural and civil drafters | $47,620 | $48,320 | $58,800 | $76,580 | $85,740 | $66,150 |
| Drafters, all other | $47,790 | $48,790 | $53,300 | $79,420 | $95,660 | $63,520 |
Annual pay. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.
What Chicago CAD jobs are posting in 2026
| Role | Software or focus | Posted pay |
|---|---|---|
| Invenergy, CAD-GIS Designer | CAD, GIS, 3D models | $100,000 to $120,000 |
| CJ Drilling, 3D Terra and CAD Modeling and Takeoff Specialist (Dundee) | Trimble Business Center, Agtek | $85,000 to $120,000 |
| Kimley-Horn, CAD Technician | Gas distribution and pipeline plans | $70,000 to $100,000 |
| Peraton, NEXCOM CAD Draftsperson | Air/ground radio program drawings | $66,000 to $106,000 |
| Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering, Revit/AutoCAD Technician | Revit, AutoCAD | $60,000 to $80,000 |
| Primera Engineers, CAD Technician, Chicago Department of Water program | MicroStation | $50,000 to $75,000 |
| AECOM, CAD Technician II, water main replacement design | City water distribution drawings | $26 to $40 an hour |
| OPTO International, CAD Drafter/Detailer (Wood Dale) | Technical drawings and layouts | $25 to $30 an hour |
Postings from direct employers, live in early October 2026.
What the postings show: energy, earthwork and pipeline design pay the most, while general drafting roles start in the mid-$20s an hour. Water and utility work for the city is a steady source of CAD technician jobs.
The software Chicago employers ask for
- AutoCAD for structural and civil drafting, asked for by Baldridge & Associates and in Sargent & Lundy’s entry-level civil engineering posting.
- MicroStation for Chicago Department of Water work at Primera Engineers and as an option at Sargent & Lundy.
- Revit for structural documents at Baldridge & Associates and for interiors at Gensler, alongside SketchUp.
- Civil 3D, StormCAD and PondPack for site and stormwater design at Sargent & Lundy.
- Trimble Business Center and Agtek for earthwork modeling and takeoff at CJ Drilling.
- GIS for energy project drawings at Invenergy.
Where Chicago’s CAD designers work
Engineering firms
Kimley-Horn hires CAD technicians for gas distribution design, AECOM for water main replacement design and Baldridge & Associates for structural drafting. Burns & McDonnell posts assistant structural designers at $36 to $44 an hour, and Stantec hires new-graduate electrical designers at $74,600 to $104,400.
Energy and utilities
Invenergy hires CAD-GIS designers for its energy projects. Sargent & Lundy hires entry-level civil engineers who use Civil 3D and MicroStation.
Federal and defense contractors
Peraton hires CAD draftspersons in Chicago for the NEXCOM air/ground communications program.
Architecture firms and manufacturers
Perkins Eastman and Gensler post junior designer roles from $60,000 to $71,000. OPTO International hires CAD drafters in Wood Dale. See our Chicago architect talent map.
Where the talent sits: Chicago submarkets
The Loop
EngineeringArchitecture
Kimley-Horn, Perkins Eastman and Sargent & Lundy all posted design roles in Loop zip codes.
O’Hare and Wood Dale
AviationManufacturing
The ORDNext construction program and manufacturers such as OPTO International.
Far South Side
Transit
The Red Line Extension’s four new stations and rail yard.
Near West Side
Engineering
Stantec’s designer roles and Studio 222 Architects.
Northwest and west suburbs
EarthworkUtilities
CJ Drilling in Dundee and substation drafting at SubGrid Solutions in Glen Ellyn.
What’s driving demand for CAD designers in Chicago
- O’Hare. ORDNext is an $8.78 billion rebuild. Concourse D, with 19 gates, has a $1.455 billion price cap and is due in late 2028. Concourse E starts in 2026, and the Global Terminal is set for 2029 to 2033.
- Red Line Extension. The $5.75 billion, 5.6-mile extension broke ground in April 2026. It adds four stations and a rail yard, with completion set for 2030.
- Water. The Chicago Department of Water’s multibillion capital improvement program is hiring CAD technicians through AECOM and Primera Engineers.
- Data centers. Gigawatt campuses in Joliet and Yorkville and new buildings in Elk Grove Village need civil, electrical and mechanical drawings. See our Chicago data center talent map.
Where new drafters are trained
- City Colleges of Chicago. Its 61-hour CAD Technology associate degree includes basic and advanced certificates along the way. A separate 61-hour Computer-Aided Drafting Engineering Technology degree pairs CAD with CNC, robotics and metrology.
- Harper College. Harper offers a 6-credit Architectural CAD certificate built on two courses, ARC 116 and ARC 117. It is not eligible for financial aid.
- New-graduate roles. Employers such as Stantec hire new graduates into designer roles and train them on the job.
What this means if you’re hiring
- Your range is public. Illinois requires pay in job postings, so candidates can compare your offer with every other posting.
- Pay by specialty. Civil engineering technicians earn about $22,600 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.
- Expect infrastructure competition. O’Hare and the Red Line Extension run to 2030 and beyond, so experienced MicroStation and civil drafters will have options.
Need CAD designers in Chicago?
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 847.994.3030 or see our Chicago engineering recruiters page.
Hire CAD designersFrequently asked questions
How much do CAD designers make in Chicago?
It depends on the specialty. In Chicago, civil engineering technicians earn a median of $81,360, mechanical drafters $72,540, electrical drafters $69,500 and architectural and civil drafters $58,800, according to May 2025 BLS data. See our CAD designer salary guide for national figures.
Do CAD designers earn more in Chicago or Atlanta?
Mostly Atlanta. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $74,180 in Atlanta against $58,800 in Chicago, electrical drafters $87,010 against $69,500, and mechanical drafters $75,360 against $72,540. Of the three, only Chicago’s mechanical drafters beat the national median. See our Atlanta CAD designer talent map.
Where can I study drafting in Chicago?
City Colleges of Chicago offers two 61-hour CAD associate degrees, and Harper College offers a short Architectural CAD certificate.
Sources (23)
- O*NET OnLine: Local wages for electrical drafters (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- O*NET OnLine: Local wages for mechanical drafters
- O*NET OnLine: Local wages for architectural and civil drafters
- O*NET OnLine: Local wages for drafters, all other
- O*NET OnLine: Local wages for civil engineering technicians
- O*NET OnLine: Atlanta drafter wages for comparison
- Indeed: Invenergy CAD-GIS Designer posting
- Indeed: CJ Drilling and Sargent & Lundy postings
- Indeed: Kimley-Horn CAD Technician posting
- Indeed: Peraton NEXCOM CAD Draftsperson posting
- Indeed: Baldridge & Associates Revit/AutoCAD Technician posting
- Indeed: Primera Engineers CAD Technician posting
- Indeed: AECOM CAD Technician II posting
- Indeed: OPTO International CAD Drafter posting
- Indeed: Stantec, Burns & McDonnell, Perkins Eastman and Gensler postings
- Indeed: SubGrid Solutions and other Chicago drafter postings
- Illinois Department of Labor: Pay transparency
- City of Chicago: O’Hare Concourse D
- Daily Herald: O’Hare Concourse E and Global Terminal
- Block Club Chicago: Red Line Extension groundbreaking
- City Colleges of Chicago: CAD Technology AAS
- City Colleges of Chicago: Computer-Aided Drafting Engineering Technology AAS
- Harper College: Architectural CAD certificate