CAD Designer Salary in Houston, TX (2026)
Typical pay is $63,120 a year, with most CAD designers in Houston, TX earning between $50,070 and $80,970. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›CAD Designer›Houston, TX
The typical CAD designer in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $63,120 a year, about the same as the Texas median and 5% less than the national median. Early-career pay starts around $50,070, experienced CAD designers earn $80,970 or more, and the top 10% make over $104,170. About 4,130 people work in this occupation in the metro area.
CAD Designer (Civil and Architectural) salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What CAD designers do
CAD designers in civil and architectural work turn engineers' and architects' designs into detailed drawings and models using AutoCAD, Civil 3D and Revit. BLS counts them as architectural and civil drafters, which is the occupation used here. BIM and 3D modeling skills usually sit at the higher end of the range.
CAD Designer pay in Houston compared
| Area | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $63,120 | $50,070 | $80,970 |
| Texas | $63,320 | $50,810 | $81,050 |
| United States | $66,150 | $55,650 | $80,870 |
The Houston job market
Houston is the center of the US energy industry, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center and CenterPoint's grid build-out, and one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
Other engineering, design and supply chain salaries in Houston
| Role | Typical |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineer | $125,350 |
| Electrical Engineer | $131,070 |
| Controls Engineer | $131,070 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,950 |
| Process Engineer | $138,120 |
| Industrial Engineer | $111,690 |
| Aerospace Engineer | $133,970 |
| Environmental Engineer | $127,340 |
| Engineering Manager | $172,020 |
| Construction Manager | $103,530 |
| Architect | $97,590 |
| Mechanical Designer | $78,820 |
| Supply Chain Analyst | $75,940 |
| Buyer | $76,290 |
| Software Developer | $129,440 |
CAD Designer salary FAQs
How much does a CAD designer make in Houston, TX?
The typical (median) CAD designer in Houston, TX earns $63,120 a year, or about $30.35 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a CAD designer in Houston, TX?
Early-career CAD designers in Houston, TX typically earn around $50,070 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $45,590. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced CAD designers earn in Houston, TX?
Experienced CAD designers in Houston, TX earn $80,970 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $104,170.
Do CAD designers earn more in Houston, TX than the national average?
The typical CAD designer in Houston, TX earns 5% less than the national median of $66,150. Prices in the metro area are 1.4% below the US average (BEA, 2024), so the same salary goes a little further there.
Are CAD designers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 5.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 9,100 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring CAD designers in Houston?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Architectural and Civil Drafters (SOC 17-3011).