Engineering Drafting Technician Salary in the United States

How much does an Engineering Drafting Technician make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for an Engineering Drafting Technician in the United States is $55,942 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $27.

However, an Engineering Drafting Technician's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $66,392
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $50,821 to $61,412
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $46,158
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
Smart Recruiting
AI-Powered Talent
Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits
Paid Annually Paid Monthly Paid Semimonthly Paid Biweekly Paid Weekly Paid Hourly
View as table View as graph 25% $50,821 10% $46,158 90% $66,392 75% $61,412 $55,942 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Engineering Drafting Technician Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $61,412 $5,118 $1,181 $30
Average $55,942 $4,662 $1,076 $27
25th Percentile $50,821 $4,235 $977 $24
Check out Engineering Drafting Technician Job Openings in the United States
Engineering Technician II - Instrumentation with Security Clearance

Sierra Nevada Corporation - Dayton, OH

Engineering Technician IV - Instrumentation with Security Clearance

Sierra Nevada Corporation - Dayton, OH

Cleared Engineering Operations Technician with Security Clearance

Amazon - Hilliard, OH

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN II - INSTRUMENTATION WITH SECURITY CLEARANCE

Sierra Nevada Corporation - Dayton, OH

Search More Engineering Drafting Technician Jobs in the United States
Choose Similar Job
Choose Category
Cost of Living
Average Salary for United States
See it in Action

Key Factors That Influence Engineering Drafting Technician Salaries

An Engineering Drafting Technician's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Do Engineering Drafting Technician Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Engineering Drafting Technicians. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $61,939.
  • California: $61,705.
  • Massachusetts: $60,882.

Top Paying Cities for Engineering Drafting Technicians

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $70,560
  • San Francisco: $69,867
  • Oakland: $68,317

What Skills Can Increase an Engineering Drafting Technician's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 7.87% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
  • Pneumatics (Mentioned in 2.84% Job Postings): Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
  • Electrical Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 2.11% Job Postings): Electrical troubleshooting is the process of analyzing the behavior or operation of a faulty electrical circuit to determine what is wrong with the electrical circuit.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Troubleshooting 7.87%
Pneumatics 2.84%
Electrical Troubleshooting 2.11%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Engineering Drafting Technician's salary.
  • Programming: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
  • Electrical Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Initiative: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Programming
 $63,774
14%
Electrical Engineering
 $62,096
11%
Initiative
 $57,061
2%
Get Latest Data

How Education impacts an Engineering Drafting Technician's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Engineering Drafting Technicians enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Engineering Drafting Technician with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $48,768 and $52,556).

Engineering Drafting Technician Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Engineering Drafting Technician
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.6%
High School 13.6%
Associates 45.2%
Bachelors 37.9%
Masters 2.3%
Doctorate 0.6%
view as graph

Engineering Drafting Technician Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Engineering Drafting Technician's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on May 18, 2021
$50,821
Average $55,942/year
$61,412
$4,235
Average $4,662/month
$5,118
$977
Average $1,076/week
$1,181
$24
Average $27/hour
$30
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $61,412 $5,118 $1,181 $30
Average $55,942 $4,662 $1,076 $27
25th Percentile $50,821 $4,235 $977 $24

Salaries of jobs related to Engineering Drafting Technician

Salary Trends for Engineering Drafting Technician

Salaries for an Engineering Drafting Technician can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $64,904 in 2023 to around $63,168 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Engineering Drafting Technician salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Engineering Drafting Technician Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$64,904
2024
$64,733
2025
$63,168
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $64,904
2024 $64,733
2025 $63,168
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Engineering Drafting Technician

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Engineering Drafting Technician

Here are companies hiring for Engineering Drafting Technician and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Engineering Drafting Technician Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Engineering Drafting Technician job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst