Talent Maps / Greenville-Spartanburg / CAD Designers

Greenville-Spartanburg CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)

What CAD designers and drafters earn in Greenville-Spartanburg, which manufacturers, design firms and contractors employ them, where in the Upstate they work, and the plant, road and mixed-use projects competing for them.

Hiring CAD designers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

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 Greenville-Spartanburg. BLS reports it as two metro areas: Greenville-Anderson-Greer, which spans Anderson, Greenville, Laurens and Pickens counties, and Spartanburg, which spans Spartanburg and Union counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and company data published from 2025 to 2026. Our CAD staffing recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Greenville-Spartanburg civil, mechanical and architect talent maps.

$62,480Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in metro GreenvilleBLS, May 2025

$66,170Median pay for mechanical drafters in metro GreenvilleBLS, May 2025

2.6%Share of Greenville metro jobs in architecture and engineering, against 1.7% nationallyBLS, May 2025

$277MWoodruff Road Congestion Relief project, with construction set to start in December 2026WYFF, 2026

$280MIsuzu truck plant in Piedmont, a 1 million square foot building due to open in 2027Isuzu, 2025

$1B+County Square redevelopment in Greenville, due in spring 2028WYFF, 2026

CAD designer and drafter salaries in Greenville-Spartanburg

BLS has no single code for CAD designers. It counts them as drafters, split by specialty. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $62,480 a year in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro. That is $2,200 below the South Carolina median of $64,680 and $3,670 below the national median of $66,150. The hourly median is $30.04. The Spartanburg median is $63,200. Greenville’s 75th percentile of $80,930 is above the state’s $79,320.

Annual pay percentile	Greenville metro	Spartanburg metro	South Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$44,890	$46,630	$46,410	$46,260
25th percentile	$47,470	$50,810	$50,110	$55,650
Median	$62,480	$63,200	$64,680	$66,150
75th percentile	$80,930	$79,520	$79,320	$80,870
90th percentile	$97,910	$98,180	$100,970	$99,710

Architectural and Civil Drafters (SOC 17-3011). Greenville metro is Greenville-Anderson-Greer. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

The other two specialties pay differently. Mechanical drafters (SOC 17-3013) earn a Greenville median of $66,170, which is $2,430 above South Carolina’s $63,740 and $5,380 below the national $71,550. Their 90th percentile reaches $128,550, against $106,580 nationally. Electrical and electronics drafters (SOC 17-3012) earn $77,120 in Greenville, against $76,440 for the state and $76,870 nationally. BLS publishes no Spartanburg estimate for either group.

Charlotte’s architectural and civil drafter median is $63,940, which is $1,460 above Greenville’s. Greenville pays more for mechanical drafters, $66,170 against $62,890 in Charlotte, while Charlotte pays $1,780 more for electrical drafters, $78,900 against $77,120. See our Charlotte CAD designer talent map and our CAD designer salary guide.

Where Greenville-Spartanburg’s CAD designers work

Manufacturers

BMW, GE Vernova, Lockheed Martin, Isuzu and Woodward all build or plan major plants in the metro. Greenville Technical College says local machine design, automotive and aerospace companies use SolidWorks and CATIA.

Engineering and design firms

Fluor’s Greenville campus is one of the company’s largest operations, supporting engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance work worldwide, and it is home to Fluor’s Mission Solutions business. McMillan Pazdan Smith and LS3P keep architecture offices in Greenville.

Roads and airports

SCDOT locked the Woodruff Road Congestion Relief price at $277 million, with work set to start in December 2026. At GSP airport, Zachry is widening Taxilane 2 and rebuilding the south general aviation apron.

Hospitals and mixed-use

Prisma Health is expanding Greer Memorial with a planned 110,000-square-foot tower and building a 50-acre medical park in Fountain Inn. County Square’s remaining phase one buildings are in design approval and permitting.

Where the talent sits: Greenville-Spartanburg submarkets

Greenville and the Eastside

EngineeringCivil

SCDOT plans to start the $277 million Woodruff Road Congestion Relief project in December 2026. Greenville Tech says many area manufacturing, engineering and mechanical companies hire its graduates as CAD designers.

Downtown Greenville

ArchitectureMixed-use

County Square covers 40 acres along University Ridge, with 10 mixed-use buildings and three parking garages in its current phase.

Greer and Spartanburg County

AutomotiveAerospace

BMW Plant Spartanburg sits near the I-85 and SC 101 interchange by GSP airport, and Woodward’s new flight control plant is in Greer.

Piedmont

Trucks

Isuzu’s 200-acre site will hold assembly, parts management and logistics under one roof.

Downtown Spartanburg

CivicHospitality

Project CORE adds an office building, a hotel, an apartment building and a 200,000-square-foot government center.

What’s driving demand for CAD designers in Greenville-Spartanburg

Woodruff Road. The project is one of SCDOT’s largest non-interstate jobs. Its price rose from $128 million to $277 million, while regional planners have proposed freezing 20 other Upstate road projects until 2033 as costs rise.
New plants. Isuzu and Woodward start production in 2027, and Airsys plans a later phase built around large-scale 3D printing.
Turbine factory. GE Vernova is installing more than 500 pieces of new equipment at its Greenville plant.
Mixed-use and civic work. County Square is due in spring 2028, and Project CORE represents more than $500 million of private investment in Spartanburg.
Healthcare. Prisma Health’s Fountain Inn Medical Park opens to patients in December 2027, and the Greer Memorial tower is due in early 2028.

CAD specialties tied to these projects

Mechanical and 3D CAD designers using SolidWorks and CATIA for automotive and aerospace work. See our guide to what a CAD drafter does.
Plant layout and equipment drafters for new and retooled factories.
Civil and roadway drafters for SCDOT and county transportation work.
Architectural and BIM drafters for mixed-use, civic and hospital projects.
Electrical drafters for power, controls and plant electrical systems.

The talent pipeline

Greenville Technical College. Its Engineering Design Technology associate degree is ABET-accredited and teaches AutoCAD, SolidWorks and CATIA V5. The college lists entry-level CAD designer salaries of $31,000 to $45,000. Graduates can continue to USC Upstate’s engineering technology management degree.
Architectural pathway. Greenville Tech’s 77-credit Architectural Engineering Technology degree includes building information modeling and advanced civil CAD.
Hiring help. See our guide to hiring a CAD designer.

What this means if you’re hiring

Hire by specialty. Mechanical drafters earn a $66,170 median in Greenville, $3,690 more than architectural and civil drafters. Electrical drafters earn $14,640 more.
Pay up for senior mechanical designers. The mechanical drafter 75th percentile is $98,140 in Greenville.
Expect Charlotte to compete for civil and electrical drafters. Charlotte’s medians are $1,460 and $1,780 higher.
Use the local pipeline. Greenville Tech’s ABET-accredited program trains in the CAD tools local manufacturers use.

Need CAD designers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

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

Call 803.832.4646 or see our Greenville engineering recruiters and Spartanburg engineering recruiters pages.

Hire CAD designers

Frequently asked questions

How much do CAD designers make in Greenville-Spartanburg?

BLS counts CAD designers as drafters. In the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro, architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $62,480 a year, mechanical drafters earn $66,170 and electrical drafters earn $77,120, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half of architectural and civil drafters earn between $47,470 and $80,930.

Do CAD designers earn more in Greenville-Spartanburg or Charlotte?

It depends on the specialty. Mechanical drafters earn more in Greenville, $66,170 against $62,890. Architectural and civil drafters earn more in Charlotte, $63,940 against $62,480, and so do electrical drafters, $78,900 against $77,120. See our Charlotte CAD designer talent map.

Who hires CAD designers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

Manufacturers such as BMW, GE Vernova, Lockheed Martin, Isuzu and Woodward, engineering and design firms such as Fluor, McMillan Pazdan Smith and LS3P, and the teams on public projects such as Woodruff Road and GSP airport.

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