Talent Maps / Jacksonville / CAD Designers

Jacksonville CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)

What CAD designers and drafters earn in metro Jacksonville, which design firms, utilities and aviation employers hire them, where in the metro they work, and the building, power and aircraft projects competing for them.

Hiring CAD designers in Jacksonville?

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 Jacksonville metro area (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker 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 2024 to 2026. Our CAD staffing recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Jacksonville architect, mechanical and electrical engineer talent maps.

$62,180Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in metro JacksonvilleBLS, May 2025

$97,750+What the top 10% of Jacksonville architectural and civil drafters earnBLS, May 2025

$1.4BJaguars stadium renovation, whose final bid package covers 652,735 square feetJax Daily Record, 2026

$1.57BJEA’s planned 640 megawatt gas plant, due in service in 2032Jacksonville Today, 2025

$245.8MBoeing’s maintenance hangar at Cecil Airport, opened February 2024Jax Daily Record, 2024

$7BDowntown Jacksonville development pipeline in 2025, with $3B under constructionDowntown Investment Authority

CAD designer and drafter salaries in Jacksonville

BLS has no single CAD designer code, so this map uses the three drafter occupations. The largest is architectural and civil drafters (SOC 17-3011), who have a median of $62,180 a year in metro Jacksonville. That is $460 below the Florida median of $62,640 and $3,970 below the national median of $66,150. The hourly median is $29.89. Jacksonville is stronger at the lower end: its 25th percentile of $52,000 is $3,620 above Florida’s.

Annual pay percentile	Jacksonville metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$46,800	$43,680	$46,260
25th percentile	$52,000	$48,380	$55,650
Median	$62,180	$62,640	$66,150
75th percentile	$79,730	$77,580	$80,870
90th percentile	$97,750	$95,150	$99,710

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

Mechanical drafters (SOC 17-3013) earn more, with a Jacksonville median of $68,880, above Florida’s $68,050 and below the national $71,550. Pay runs from $45,650 at the 10th percentile to $105,820 at the 90th. Electrical and electronics drafters (SOC 17-3012) earn a median of $75,780, against $73,010 in Florida and $76,870 nationally. Their range is $43,770 to $98,020.

What the spread means in practice: Orlando pays slightly more for architectural and civil drafters, $63,120 against $62,180. For mechanical drafters Jacksonville leads by a wide margin, $68,880 against $63,140 in Orlando. For electrical drafters Jacksonville is $750 ahead, $75,780 against $75,030.

Where Jacksonville’s CAD designers work

Architecture and engineering firms

Haskell, founded in 1965 and headquartered in San Marco, combines architecture, engineering and construction. RS&H is a 100% employee-owned firm headquartered in Deerwood Park. Both serve aviation, healthcare, federal and industrial clients.

Design-build and mechanical contractors

Stellar, headquartered on Hartley Road, has more than 700 employees and does design, refrigeration, and mechanical and electrical work. Haskell’s building systems group covers structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection.

Utilities and industry

JEA runs Brandy Branch, a 710 megawatt station in Baldwin, and plans a $1.57 billion, 640 megawatt gas plant. Johnson & Johnson Vision employs about 3,500 people in Jacksonville and announced more than $1 billion of investment in June 2026.

Aviation and defense

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast employs about 5,000 people. Boeing’s Cecil hangar covers 385,000 square feet. Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine site has serviced more than 1,600 aircraft.

Where the talent sits: Jacksonville submarkets

Southside and Deerwood Park

ArchitectureMechanical

RS&H is headquartered at 10748 Deerwood Park Boulevard South. Stellar’s headquarters is at 2900 Hartley Road.

San Marco and Downtown

ArchitecturalBuilding systems

Haskell is on San Marco Boulevard. Downtown has the stadium renovation, the Four Seasons and Pearl Square.

Westside, Baldwin and Cecil Airport

PowerAircraft

JEA’s Brandy Branch station is in Baldwin, and Boeing’s hangar and Otto Aerospace’s campus are at Cecil Airport.

NAS Jacksonville and Blount Island

Aircraft repairMarine

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast is at NAS Jacksonville. JAXPORT is adding vehicle Berth 21 at Blount Island.

St. Augustine and St. Johns County

Aircraft

Northrop Grumman’s aircraft site is the largest private employer facility in St. Johns County.

What’s driving demand for CAD designers in Jacksonville

Stadium of the Future. The final bid package covers eight levels and 652,735 square feet, including updated mechanical, electrical, lighting and fire alarm systems and low-voltage networks. The $696.5 million permit was issued on February 27, 2026.
JEA’s new plant. The $1.57 billion, 640 megawatt plant is expected in 2032 and replaces Northside Unit 3.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences. The 10-story, $387.6 million project is anticipated to finish in June 2027.
Downtown pipeline. The Downtown Investment Authority counted $7 billion in 2025, with $3 billion under construction, including Pearl Square at nearly $1 billion.
Aviation. Boeing’s hangar opened February 9, 2024, and Otto Aerospace plans a factory at Cecil Airport with construction in 2028.
Manufacturing and port work. Johnson & Johnson’s investment targets 2028, and JAXPORT’s $60 million Berth 21 is due in early 2027.

CAD specialties tied to these projects

Architectural drafters for the stadium, Four Seasons and downtown mixed-use projects.
Mechanical and piping drafters for plant, refrigeration and manufacturing systems at JEA, Stellar and Johnson & Johnson.
Electrical drafters for the power plant and the stadium’s low-voltage network.
Civil and GIS drafters for port, site and utility work, a track FSCJ teaches.

The talent pipeline

Florida State College at Jacksonville. Its Computer Aided Technical Design certificate is 15 credits and teaches AutoCAD, technical drawing, dimensioning and sketching for entry-level CAD technician roles.
Associate degree path. FSCJ’s Architectural Design and Construction Technology associate degree is 66 credits and includes AutoCAD Foundations, Drafting and GIS Technician certificates, with tracks in drafting and design, architectural, civil and GIS.
Licensing. Drafters work alongside engineers licensed by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers and architects licensed by the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design.
Related maps. Many CAD teams support architects. See our Jacksonville architect talent map.

What this means if you’re hiring

Price mechanical and electrical drafters higher. Their medians of $68,880 and $75,780 are $6,700 and $13,600 above architectural and civil drafters.
Entry pay is competitive. Jacksonville’s 10th percentile of $46,800 for architectural and civil drafters beats Florida’s $43,680, so new FSCJ graduates have options.
Expect aviation and power to compete. Plant, hangar and refrigeration projects need the same mechanical and electrical skills.
Use contract work for peaks. The stadium runs to August 2028 and the JEA plant to 2032, so staffing needs will change by phase.

Need CAD designers in Jacksonville?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Jacksonville engineering recruiters page.

Hire CAD designers

Frequently asked questions

How much do CAD designers make in Jacksonville?

The median pay for architectural and civil drafters in metro Jacksonville is $62,180 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $52,000 and $79,730, and the top 10% earn $97,750 or more. Mechanical drafters earn a median of $68,880 and electrical drafters $75,780.

Do CAD designers earn more in Jacksonville or Orlando?

It depends on the specialty. Orlando is slightly higher for architectural and civil drafters, $63,120 against $62,180. Jacksonville is higher for mechanical drafters, $68,880 against $63,140. See our Orlando CAD designer talent map.

Who hires CAD designers in Jacksonville?

Firms such as Haskell, RS&H and Stellar, the utility JEA, manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, and aviation employers such as Boeing, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast and Northrop Grumman.

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