Talent Maps / Raleigh / CAD Designers and Drafters

Raleigh CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)

What CAD designers and drafters earn in Raleigh, real posted pay ranges, the software in demand and where the Triangle trains its drafters.

Hiring CAD designers in Raleigh?

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 Raleigh-Cary metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), alongside real pay ranges from Raleigh-area postings in October 2026. Our CAD recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our CAD designer salary guide and our Raleigh architect, civil engineer and electrical engineer talent maps.

$81,960Median pay for electrical and electronics drafters in Raleigh, against $76,870 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$65,840Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in Raleigh, against $66,150 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$61,220Median pay for mechanical drafters in Raleigh, against $71,550 nationallyBLS, May 2025

$95,000Top of the posted range for a control panel CAD designer in Holly SpringsJob posting, October 2026

$54.85Top of the posted hourly range for a fire sprinkler designer in AutoCAD and HydraCADJob posting, October 2026

$680MWake County school bond on the November 3, 2026 ballotWRAL, September 2026

CAD designer and drafter salaries in Raleigh

Electrical and electronics drafters are the best paid in Raleigh, with a median of $81,960, about $5,090 above the national figure. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $65,840, close to the national $66,150 and above the North Carolina median of $62,750. Mechanical drafters trail, with a median of $61,220, about $10,330 below the national figure.

Specialty (Raleigh metro)	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	US median
Electrical and electronics drafters	$55,640	$77,720	$81,960	$95,130	$99,770	$76,870
Architectural and civil drafters	$46,240	$52,710	$65,840	$80,270	$98,180	$66,150
Drafters, all other	$17,530	$49,220	$63,330	$73,790	$106,610	$63,520
Mechanical drafters	$48,320	$52,000	$61,220	$72,760	$84,080	$71,550
Civil engineering technicians	$46,450	$47,790	$60,720	$69,420	$84,050	$64,950

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

What Raleigh CAD jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Software	Posted pay
Town of Cary, Civil Designer, transportation	Civil 3D, ArcGIS Pro	$72,592 to $112,548.80
RoviSys, CAD Designer, control panels (Holly Springs)	AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS	$50,000 to $95,000
Summer Consultants, Mechanical Designer, recent graduate	Not stated	$73,000 to $87,500
Flatiron Construction, CAD Designer, heavy civil temporary works	AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Revit	$73,000 to $76,000
Larson Design Group, Designer, bridge design	Not stated	$59,000 to $89,000
Johnson Controls, Fire Sprinkler Designer	AutoCAD, HydraCAD	$36.58 to $54.85 an hour

Postings from direct employers, live in early October 2026. Cary’s anticipated hiring range for its entry-level role is $72,592 to $84,468.80.

What the postings show: the widest ranges are for Civil 3D civil design and control panel design. Several employers hire at entry level, and BFPE International’s entry-level fire alarm designer role in Clayton comes with training.

The software Raleigh employers ask for

AutoCAD for construction, controls and fire protection work, asked for by Flatiron, RoviSys and Johnson Controls.
Civil 3D for roadway, site and water work at the Town of Cary, McKim & Creed and Alpha & Omega Group.
MicroStation and OpenRoads for transportation plans, listed by Alpha & Omega Group and as an alternative by the Town of Cary.
SOLIDWORKS and Creo for product and panel design at RoviSys and Amphenol.
Revit for building models, a developing skill Flatiron asks for.
HydraCAD for sprinkler layout at Johnson Controls, and ArcGIS Pro for infrastructure records at the Town of Cary.

Where Raleigh’s CAD designers work

Civil and site engineering firms

Kimley-Horn hires civil design technicians for land development, McKim & Creed hires CAD technicians and CAD/BIM designers for water work, and Alpha & Omega Group hires civil and structural CADD designers for projects including NCDOT work.

Public employers

The Town of Cary hires civil designers for its transportation team. The State of North Carolina posted an architectural technician role in Wake County at $47,703 to $83,479.

Contractors and fire protection

Flatiron Construction hires CAD designers for heavy civil temporary works, Johnson Controls hires sprinkler designers in Raleigh and BFPE International hires entry-level fire alarm designers in Clayton.

Manufacturers and utilities

RoviSys designs control panels in Holly Springs, Amphenol hires Creo mechanical designers in Raleigh and New Phoenix Aerospace hires drafters. Westwood hires substation drafters for high-voltage and renewable energy projects.

Where the talent sits: Raleigh submarkets

Downtown and West Raleigh

CivilUtilities

Kimley-Horn, Johnson Controls and Westwood all posted CAD roles in the 27601 and 27607 zip codes.

North Raleigh

WaterAerospace

McKim & Creed in 27612 and New Phoenix Aerospace on Triangle Drive.

Cary

Public sectorTransportation

The Town of Cary’s transportation design team on North Academy Street.

Holly Springs

ControlsBiomanufacturing

RoviSys’s panel design team, near the town’s new drug plants.

Johnston County

Fire protection

BFPE International’s entry-level fire alarm designer roles in Clayton.

What’s driving demand for CAD designers in Raleigh

RDU airport. RDU’s new 10,639-foot main runway and taxiway are expected to cost about $1.1 billion, with the runway due to open in 2029. A Terminal 2 expansion follows.
Schools. Wake County voters decide on a $680 million school bond and a $149.1 million Wake Tech bond on November 3, 2026. The school bond funds three new elementary schools and work at eight existing schools.
Lenovo Center. The arena’s $300 million renovation is under way, and a separate development of up to $1 billion around it was due to start in 2026.
Biomanufacturing. Fujifilm, Amgen and Genentech are building in Holly Springs, where RoviSys is hiring panel designers. See our Raleigh industrial engineer talent map.
The grid. Westwood is hiring substation drafters for high-voltage and renewable interconnection projects.

Where new drafters are trained

Wake Tech Architectural Technology. The associate degree teaches AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp and prepares students for roles such as junior technician, MEP design technician and BIM technician.
Wake Tech Mechanical Design Certificate. A 12-credit certificate at the Southern Wake Campus covering AutoCAD, SolidWorks and mechanisms.
Durham Tech. Durham Tech offers an Architectural Technology associate degree and an Architectural CAD certificate.

What this means if you’re hiring

Pay by specialty. Electrical drafters earn about $20,700 more at the median than mechanical drafters in Raleigh.
Mechanical drafters are underpaid here. Raleigh’s median is about $10,330 below the national figure, so offers near the 75th percentile ($72,760) will stand out.
Test before you hire. A short drawing exercise shows more than a resume. Read our guide on how to hire a CAD designer.
Partner with Wake Tech and Durham Tech. Both run CAD programs, which makes trainee roles a practical way to build a bench.

Need CAD designers in Raleigh?

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 919.710.8098 or see our Raleigh engineering recruiters page.

Hire CAD designers

Frequently asked questions

How much do CAD designers make in Raleigh?

It depends on the specialty. In Raleigh, electrical drafters earn a median of $81,960, architectural and civil drafters $65,840 and mechanical drafters $61,220, according to May 2025 BLS data. See our CAD designer salary guide for national figures.

Do CAD designers earn more in Raleigh or Charlotte?

Mostly Raleigh. Architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $65,840 in Raleigh against $63,940 in Charlotte, and electrical drafters $81,960 against $78,900. Mechanical drafters earn slightly more in Charlotte: $62,890 against $61,220. See our Charlotte CAD designer talent map.

Where can I study drafting in Raleigh?

Wake Tech offers an Architectural Technology associate degree and a Mechanical Design Certificate, and Durham Tech offers an Architectural Technology degree and an Architectural CAD certificate.

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