Talent Maps / Tampa / CAD Designers

Tampa CAD Designer Talent Map (2026)

What CAD designers and drafters earn in metro Tampa, which design firms, contractors and manufacturers employ them, where in the metro they work, and the road, airport and hospital projects competing for them.

Hiring CAD designers in Tampa?

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which spans Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando 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 Tampa civil, mechanical and architect talent maps.

$65,160Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in metro TampaBLS, May 2025

$72,170Median pay for mechanical drafters in metro TampaBLS, May 2025

$1BWestshore Interchange rebuild, with construction under way since January 2026Fox 13

$1.52BAirside D at Tampa International, with 16 gates and a 2029 openingTampa International Airport

$1.1BCapital plan for Moffitt’s Speros campus in Pasco CountyBusiness Observer, 2026

15%Projected Florida job growth for architectural and civil drafters, 2024 to 2034St. Petersburg College

CAD designer and drafter salaries in Tampa

BLS has no single code for CAD designers. It counts them as drafters, split by specialty. The largest group in this metro is architectural and civil drafters, who earn a median of $65,160 a year in Tampa. That is $2,520 above the Florida median of $62,640 and $990 below the national median of $66,150. The hourly median is $31.33. Tampa’s 10th percentile of $45,910 is above Florida’s $43,680, and its 90th percentile of $96,500 is above Florida’s $95,150.

Annual pay percentile	Tampa metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$45,910	$43,680	$46,260
25th percentile	$50,500	$48,380	$55,650
Median	$65,160	$62,640	$66,150
75th percentile	$77,190	$77,580	$80,870
90th percentile	$96,500	$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.

The other two specialties pay differently. Mechanical drafters (SOC 17-3013) earn a Tampa median of $72,170, which is $4,120 above Florida’s $68,050 and $620 above the national $71,550. Electrical and electronics drafters (SOC 17-3012) earn $66,910 in Tampa, below Florida’s $73,010 and the national $76,870.

Orlando’s architectural and civil drafter median is $63,120, which is $2,040 below Tampa’s. Orlando pays more for electrical drafters, $75,030 against $66,910 in Tampa, but less for mechanical drafters, $63,140 against $72,170. A designer comparing offers across the two metros should compare by specialty. See our Orlando CAD designer talent map and our CAD designer salary guide.

Where Tampa’s CAD designers work

Engineering and architecture firms

Kimley-Horn’s Tampa office at 201 North Franklin Street lists development services, roadway design, water and wastewater utilities, structural, aviation and MEP engineering among its services, and worked on the Tampa Riverwalk.

Gensler (downtown), Gresham Smith (Midtown) and Rowe Architects (East Madison Street) all keep Tampa offices that produce drawing sets for airports, hospitals, schools and mixed-use projects.

Transportation and airport projects

The $1 billion Westshore Interchange rebuild started in January 2026. Phase one covers the west side of the interchange, drainage, a Reo Street bridge over I-275 and connections at Trask and Occident Streets, and is expected to finish in 2030.

Airside D is a design-build job led by Hensel Phelps, with HNTB and Gensler.

Manufacturers

Raytheon’s Largo plant lists vehicle and shelter integration, assembly and test automation and antenna systems among its work, with more than 1,000 people. Jabil employs more than 3,000 people at three Tampa Bay sites.

Utilities and hospitals

Tampa Electric’s plan counts about 1,350 MW of solar at the end of 2024 and more than 2,700 MW by 2034. Tampa General Hospital’s 565,000-square-foot tower is due in summer 2027.

Where the talent sits: Tampa submarkets

Downtown Tampa

ArchitectureCivil

Kimley-Horn is at 201 North Franklin Street, and Gensler is at Water Street Tampa, where a 33-story residential tower is set to break ground in spring 2027.

Westshore and the airport

TransportationAviation

The Westshore Interchange and Airside D are both under construction within the same part of the metro.

Midtown Tampa

ArchitectureEngineering

Gresham Smith’s 18,000-square-foot office is at The Loft at Midtown Tampa.

Largo and St. Petersburg

ManufacturingDefense

Raytheon’s Largo plant and Jabil’s St. Petersburg headquarters sit in Pinellas County.

Clearwater

Training

St. Petersburg College trains CAD technicians at its Clearwater campus, in the Collaborative Center for Emerging Technologies.

What’s driving demand for CAD designers in Tampa

Westshore Interchange. FDOT’s rebuild adds flyover ramps and express lanes. Lane Construction and Superior Construction are the joint venture, and later phases are funded for 2030 and 2032.
Airside D. The $1.52 billion terminal is expected to be substantially complete in late 2028 and open in 2029.
Rays ballpark. Hillsborough County approved the Dale Mabry ballpark on August 28, 2026. The plan includes a mixed-use district and a reworked Hillsborough College campus, and targets the 2029 season.
Water Street Tampa. The second phase is a nearly $1 billion investment, including a 33-story, 452-unit tower due in 2029.
Healthcare construction. Moffitt’s Speros campus has about $600 million of construction underway, and Tampa General’s tower is due in 2027.
Power. Tampa Electric’s 2025 ten-year site plan adds about 195 MW of batteries and 75 MW of reciprocating engines, as well as solar.

CAD specialties tied to these projects

Civil and roadway drafters for FDOT and county transportation work.
Architectural and BIM drafters for airport, hospital and mixed-use projects.
MEP and piping drafters for terminals, hospitals and central plants.
Mechanical drafters for electronics, defense and precision manufacturing. See our guide to what a CAD drafter does.
Electrical drafters for utility, solar and electronics work.

The talent pipeline

St. Petersburg College. SPC’s Computer-Aided Design and Drafting certificate is 24 credit hours in eight classes. It teaches AutoCAD and SolidWorks plus 3D printing and rapid prototyping, and it transfers to the college’s Engineering Technology associate degree.
Florida openings. The college cites state projections of about 890 openings for architectural and civil drafters and 140 for electrical and electronics drafters from 2024 to 2034.
Hiring help. See our guide to hiring a CAD designer.

What this means if you’re hiring

Hire by specialty. Mechanical drafters earn a $72,170 median in Tampa, $7,010 more than architectural and civil drafters at $65,160.
Expect Orlando to compete for electrical drafters. Its median of $75,030 is $8,120 above Tampa’s $66,910.
Price experienced civil and architectural drafters at the 75th percentile. Plan on $77,190 or more.
Use the local certificate pipeline. SPC’s 24-credit program feeds entry-level CAD roles in Pinellas County.

Need CAD designers in Tampa?

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 813.701.2797 or see our Tampa engineering recruiters page.

Hire CAD designers

Frequently asked questions

How much do CAD designers make in Tampa?

BLS counts CAD designers as drafters. In metro Tampa, architectural and civil drafters earn a median of $65,160 a year, mechanical drafters earn $72,170 and electrical drafters earn $66,910, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half of architectural and civil drafters earn between $50,500 and $77,190.

Do CAD designers earn more in Tampa or Orlando?

It depends on the specialty. Architectural and civil drafters earn more in Tampa, $65,160 against $63,120, and so do mechanical drafters, $72,170 against $63,140. Electrical drafters earn more in Orlando, $75,030 against $66,910. See our Orlando CAD designer talent map.

Who hires CAD designers in Tampa?

Engineering and architecture firms such as Kimley-Horn, Gensler, Gresham Smith and Rowe Architects, the contractors and designers on projects such as the Westshore Interchange and Airside D, manufacturers such as Raytheon and Jabil, and utilities and hospitals such as Tampa Electric and Tampa General.

Sources (19)