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Architectural and Civil Drafters

SOC 17-3011 · 2024-2034

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. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.

How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.

What California expects of this job

Typical pay in California
$78,662per year
Projected openings
10,740
Projected change
+7%
Usually needs
Associate's degree

Skills this work uses most

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.

  1. Reading Comprehension
  2. Systems Analysis
  3. Complex Problem Solving
  4. Active Learning
  5. Writing
  6. Critical Thinking

Pay by region

RegionTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openings
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)$82,883620
Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)$80,701940
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)$79,027880
Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County)$78,877160
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)$78,6301,300
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County)$77,829220
Vallejo MSA (Solano County)$77,63460
Napa MSA (Napa County)$77,56240
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$76,6452,110
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County)$76,4331,440
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties)$75,220730
Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County)$71,800130
Chico MSA (Butte County)$70,49530
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County)$70,495130
Visalia MSA (Tulare County)$68,44190
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)$66,612720
El Centro MSA (Imperial County)$66,45820
Salinas MSA (Monterey County)$66,44870
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County)$66,222180
Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)$66,05850
Merced MSA (Merced County)$65,32830
Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County)$65,328120
Redding MSA (Shasta County)$65,12340
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties)$64,99030
San Rafael MD (Marin County)$64,987100
Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County)$64,774150
Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties)$62,463230
North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties)$60,90140
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties)$60,38850

What the pay actually ranges across

The lowest-paid tenth earn under
$51,245
A quarter earn under
$63,962
Half earn under
$78,662
Three quarters earn under
$98,996
The highest-paid tenth earn over
$117,808

A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.

Similar work

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.

OccupationTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openingsProjected change
Mechanical Drafters$84,8203,040-5.1%
Electrical and Electronics Drafters$80,5022,120-10%
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians$85,8276,450+4.1%
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians$89,8363,330+5.4%
Civil Engineers$125,92938,210+8.2%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$213,80820,870+5%

Programs that train for this job — 23