Electrical and Electronics Drafters Career, Salary and Skills
Electrical and Electronics Drafters have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $76,870 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 17,920. Wage data is published for 138 locations.
Occupation description
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
O*NET code
17-3012.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$76,870
Hourly median
$36.96
Employment
17,920
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$50,040
10th
$61,430
25th
$76,870
Median
$96,730
75th
$120,290
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Writing | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Active Learning | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Speaking | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Time Management | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
- Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
- Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
- Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
Technology
- Microsoft Excel
- 1CadCam Unigraphics
- Adobe Illustrator
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk Navisworks
- Autodesk Revit
- Aveva Group Plant Design Management System PDMS
- Bentley AutoPLANT
- Bentley I/RAS B
- Bentley MicroStation
- Bentley PlantSpace SupportModeler
- Bentley Systems ProjectWise
- Bowen & Groves M1 ERP
- C
Electrical and Electronics Drafters salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in CAMedian $78,310 · Employment 2,730
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in TXMedian $80,620 · Employment 1,840
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $77,630 · Employment 860
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in NYMedian $77,830 · Employment 850
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in COMedian $79,300 · Employment 750
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $83,100 · Employment 720
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in FLMedian $73,010 · Employment 660
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in New York, NYMedian $77,830 · Employment 580
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in AZMedian $73,080 · Employment 570
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in Denver, COMedian $79,530 · Employment 560
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in OHMedian $80,840 · Employment 510
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary in PAMedian $72,720 · Employment 500
Related careers
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and TechniciansNational median $73,900
- Electromechanical Equipment AssemblersNational median not published
- Robotics TechniciansNational median $73,900
- Industrial EngineersNational median $102,440
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial EquipmentNational median $74,090
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment AssemblersNational median not published
- Mechatronics EngineersNational median $122,930
- Layout Workers, Metal and PlasticNational median $63,870
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.