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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

17-3013 Mechanical Drafters

Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
55,210 1.5 % $29.09 $60,500 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.48 $21.66 $27.43 $34.84 $44.24
Annual Wage (2) $36,350 $45,050 $57,060 $72,460 $92,010


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 11,680 0.78 $29.02 $60,360
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 5,930 1.21 $26.20 $54,490
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,850 0.78 $27.23 $56,640
Employment Services 3,280 0.09 $30.85 $64,160
Building Equipment Contractors 2,970 0.13 $32.07 $66,700

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 5,930 1.21 $26.20 $54,490
Ship and Boat Building 1,210 0.86 $29.64 $61,650
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 11,680 0.78 $29.02 $60,360
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 5,850 0.78 $27.23 $56,640
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 690 0.74 $27.82 $57,870

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 2,100 0.40 $40.97 $85,210
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 60 0.05 $36.84 $76,630
Natural Gas Distribution 40 0.03 $36.50 $75,920
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 570 0.16 $34.52 $71,800
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 180 0.05 $34.47 $71,700


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 5,260 0.30 0.81 $33.11 $68,870
Texas 4,960 0.40 1.06 $28.06 $58,360
Pennsylvania 3,120 0.53 1.41 $26.96 $56,080
New York 2,540 0.27 0.71 $28.34 $58,950
Florida 2,510 0.29 0.76 $26.64 $55,400




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Maine 790 1.29 3.42 $27.48 $57,160
Kansas 970 0.70 1.86 $25.15 $52,310
Wisconsin 1,930 0.67 1.79 $26.13 $54,350
Iowa 1,040 0.67 1.78 $29.11 $60,550
Washington 2,190 0.66 1.75 $38.57 $80,220




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 2,190 0.66 1.75 $38.57 $80,220
Alaska 70 0.23 0.62 $35.27 $73,370
Maryland 1,490 0.55 1.47 $33.82 $70,340
California 5,260 0.30 0.81 $33.11 $68,870
Connecticut 710 0.43 1.14 $32.64 $67,880





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,010 0.66 1.75 $30.92 $64,320
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,940 0.20 0.53 $31.81 $66,160
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,880 0.30 0.80 $31.06 $64,600
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,680 0.83 2.21 $42.58 $88,560
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,530 0.33 0.87 $28.64 $59,580
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,300 0.46 1.23 $29.13 $60,590
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,180 0.60 1.60 $30.25 $62,920
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,180 0.60 1.59 $30.05 $62,500
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,150 0.31 0.83 $26.76 $55,650
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 1,070 0.78 2.07 $32.48 $67,550




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wausau, WI 130 1.82 4.84 $25.71 $53,480
Columbus, IN 90 1.73 4.60 $27.13 $56,420
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 200 1.56 4.16 $25.05 $52,110
Jackson, MI 70 1.31 3.48 $27.36 $56,920
York-Hanover, PA 230 1.24 3.31 $24.66 $51,290
Appleton, WI 140 1.14 3.03 $28.47 $59,220
Carson City, NV 30 1.12 2.99 $28.76 $59,830
Lebanon, PA 60 1.11 2.95 $26.45 $55,010
California-Lexington Park, MD 50 1.09 2.91 $33.21 $69,090
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 100 1.08 2.87 $28.78 $59,860




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 520 0.46 1.22 $50.75 $105,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,680 0.83 2.21 $42.58 $88,560
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 110 0.27 0.71 $36.74 $76,410
Santa Rosa, CA 50 0.23 0.61 $36.54 $76,010
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 470 0.31 0.83 $36.38 $75,670
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 230 0.40 1.06 $36.21 $75,310
Anchorage, AK 70 0.41 1.08 $35.36 $73,540
Huntsville, AL 120 0.50 1.33 $34.89 $72,580
Salt Lake City, UT 230 0.32 0.84 $34.73 $72,230
New Haven, CT 80 0.27 0.72 $34.53 $71,820

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 280 0.71 1.90 $23.91 $49,740
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 200 2.18 5.80 $21.36 $44,430
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 200 1.09 2.90 $23.05 $47,950
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 200 0.59 1.56 $23.98 $49,880
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 170 0.66 1.75 $24.79 $51,570

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 200 2.18 5.80 $21.36 $44,430
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 200 1.09 2.90 $23.05 $47,950
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 80 1.05 2.80 (8) (8)
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 150 1.03 2.75 $24.94 $51,870
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 80 0.98 2.61 $34.22 $71,180

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 80 0.98 2.61 $34.22 $71,180
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $30.41 $63,260
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 60 0.48 1.29 $29.48 $61,320
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 40 0.42 1.13 $28.72 $59,730
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 40 0.26 0.70 $28.58 $59,450


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020