Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

17-3011 Architectural and Civil Drafters

Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Utilize knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
97,800 2.0 % $18.84 $39,190 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.80 $14.57 $18.12 $22.07 $26.98
Annual Wage (2) $24,550 $30,300 $37,690 $45,900 $56,110

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services 72,120 $18.54 $38,570 1 39
Residential building construction 3,320 $18.07 $37,590 2 43
Architectural and structural metals mfg. 3,290 $18.16 $37,770 3 41
Local government (OES designation) 2,460 $20.11 $41,840 4 24
Nonresidential building construction 1,890 $19.02 $39,570 5 35

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Home furnishings stores (6) $29.01 $60,350 (6) 1
Misc. durable goods merchant wholesalers 50 $28.44 $59,150 39 2
Land subdivision 160 $26.88 $55,910 25 3
Natural gas distribution 230 $26.62 $55,370 20 4
Other heavy construction 380 $25.15 $52,320 15 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Florida 10,000 $18.39 $38,250 0.139% 287
District of Columbia 740 $17.55 $36,500 0.124% 291
Washington 3,160 $18.09 $37,620 0.123% 393
Nevada 1,220 $19.32 $40,180 0.115% 269
New Hampshire 690 $17.82 $37,070 0.114% 238

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 13,230 $21.53 $44,790 0.091% 320
New Jersey 3,780 $21.32 $44,340 0.098% 297
Massachusetts 2,710 $21.25 $44,200 0.085% 279
Rhode Island 320 $21.19 $44,070 0.068% 194
Vermont 300 $20.62 $42,890 0.103% 159

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL MSA 630 $15.85 $32,960 0.335%
Santa Fe, NM MSA 150 $15.58 $32,410 0.204%
Gainesville, FL MSA 190 $13.33 $27,730 0.199%
Manchester, NH PMSA 210 $17.76 $36,930 0.198%
Wausau, WI MSA 130 $16.81 $34,960 0.194%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Sharon, PA MSA (6) $32.03 $66,620 (6)
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,460 $25.30 $52,630 0.150%
Lake Charles, LA MSA 80 $24.87 $51,720 0.098%
Waterbury, CT PMSA 40 $24.82 $51,630 0.048%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA (6) $23.67 $49,230 (6)

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004