Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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: 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)
64,090 1.4 % $25.07 $52,150 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.51 $18.95 $23.65 $29.53 $37.07
Annual Wage (2) $32,260 $39,420 $49,200 $61,420 $77,110


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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 16,380 1.27 $25.77 $53,610
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 4,100 1.26 $22.28 $46,350
Ship and Boat Building 3,780 3.06 $24.32 $50,580
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 3,610 0.76 $32.37 $67,330
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 3,040 1.30 $23.29 $48,440

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Ship and Boat Building 3,780 3.06 $24.32 $50,580
Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing 2,550 1.57 $24.04 $50,010
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 3,040 1.30 $23.29 $48,440
Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing 1,120 1.30 $23.53 $48,930
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 16,380 1.27 $25.77 $53,610

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 350 0.09 $35.10 $73,000
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 3,610 0.76 $32.37 $67,330
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 90 0.34 $32.17 $66,910
Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing 50 0.06 $29.35 $61,060
Scientific Research and Development Services 440 0.07 $28.58 $59,440


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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)
Texas 4,920 0.48 0.95 $26.59 $55,300
Pennsylvania 4,780 0.86 1.73 $23.50 $48,890
California 4,690 0.33 0.67 $27.65 $57,520
Michigan 3,710 0.97 1.94 $24.11 $50,150
Ohio 2,830 0.57 1.14 $23.11 $48,070




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 1.37 2.73 $25.83 $53,720
Connecticut 2,060 1.28 2.57 $26.68 $55,490
Wisconsin 2,800 1.06 2.12 $23.71 $49,310
Minnesota 2,540 0.98 1.96 $25.60 $53,250
Michigan 3,710 0.97 1.94 $24.11 $50,150




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 130 0.41 0.81 $35.00 $72,790
Washington 2,390 0.88 1.76 $33.71 $70,110
Massachusetts 1,190 0.38 0.76 $29.45 $61,250
District of Columbia 60 0.09 0.17 $29.00 $60,320
New Jersey 1,320 0.35 0.70 $28.50 $59,270





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-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 2,150 0.84 1.69 $27.83 $57,880
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,030 1.48 2.97 $35.24 $73,300
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,880 1.10 2.20 $27.03 $56,220
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 1,390 1.34 2.68 $25.18 $52,380
Pittsburgh, PA 1,310 1.18 2.36 $23.74 $49,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 1,270 0.33 0.67 $26.37 $54,860
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,210 0.34 0.68 $24.79 $51,570
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,140 0.63 1.25 $27.25 $56,670
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,040 0.20 0.41 $31.39 $65,290
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 940 1.18 2.36 $24.76 $51,500




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)
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 130 2.27 4.55 $22.68 $47,160
Erie, PA 290 2.25 4.49 $19.41 $40,370
York-Hanover, PA 370 2.12 4.25 $22.53 $46,860
Wausau, WI 110 1.66 3.31 $19.38 $40,310
Tulsa, OK 610 1.50 3.01 $25.49 $53,020
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,030 1.48 2.97 $35.24 $73,300
Holland-Grand Haven, MI 140 1.45 2.90 $22.57 $46,940
Eau Claire, WI 110 1.40 2.79 $24.53 $51,030
Green Bay, WI 220 1.37 2.75 $26.28 $54,660
Jackson, MI 70 1.36 2.72 $19.90 $41,390




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)
Peabody, MA NECTA Division 90 0.88 1.76 $38.41 $79,900
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 240 0.25 0.50 $37.01 $76,980
Anchorage, AK 120 0.69 1.37 $35.97 $74,830
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,030 1.48 2.97 $35.24 $73,300
Lake Charles, LA (8) (8) (8) $33.18 $69,010
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 50 0.40 0.80 $32.99 $68,610
Trenton-Ewing, NJ 40 0.18 0.37 $32.55 $67,710
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 40 0.22 0.44 $32.42 $67,440
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 490 0.29 0.58 $31.85 $66,250
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,040 0.20 0.41 $31.39 $65,290

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)
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 280 1.28 2.57 $22.49 $46,770
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 260 0.93 1.86 $20.14 $41,890
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 230 0.61 1.21 $19.49 $40,540
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 230 1.20 2.41 $21.25 $44,200
Far Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 230 1.41 2.82 $21.15 $43,980

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)
North Central Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 40 1.73 3.46 $22.01 $45,780
Far Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 230 1.41 2.82 $21.15 $43,980
East Idaho nonmetropolitan area 70 1.40 2.80 $20.29 $42,200
Eastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 210 1.36 2.73 $23.94 $49,800
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 280 1.28 2.57 $22.49 $46,770

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)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 60 0.57 1.13 $32.82 $68,270
Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 60 0.44 0.87 $28.43 $59,140
Upper Eastern Shore nonmetropolitan area 30 0.45 0.90 $26.88 $55,900
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 50 0.53 1.06 $26.60 $55,330
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 120 0.51 1.01 $24.83 $51,650


About May 2011 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 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.

(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 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012