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Mechanical Drafters

SOC 17-3013 · 2024-2034

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

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

Shrinking -5.1%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.

What California expects of this job

Typical pay in California
$84,820per year
Projected openings
3,040
Projected change
-5.1%
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. Critical Thinking
  2. Active Listening
  3. Mathematics
  4. Reading Comprehension
  5. Active Learning
  6. Speaking

Pay by region

RegionTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openings
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)$114,859240
Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)$96,742350
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)$94,271150
Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County)$87,09440
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)$86,119380
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County)$81,154370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$81,144570
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties)$80,325160
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County)$74,31680
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)$72,324320

What the pay actually ranges across

The lowest-paid tenth earn under
$51,605
A quarter earn under
$67,745
Half earn under
$84,820
Three quarters earn under
$105,739
The highest-paid tenth earn over
$131,748

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
Electrical and Electronics Drafters$80,5022,120-10%
Architectural and Civil Drafters$78,66210,740+7%
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians$89,8363,330+5.4%
Commercial and Industrial Designers$103,5914,320+1.9%
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$83,9633,190+10%
Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians$88,50011,520-2.9%

Programs that train for this job — 10