Mechanical Drafters

Median salary

$71,550

Average salary

$75,060

Employment

39,960

Projected growth

6.5% decline

Annual openings

3,300

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Mechanical Drafters Do

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

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 6.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Designimportance 4.8/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.7/5
Mechanicalimportance 4.5/5
Mathematicsimportance 4.4/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Physicsimportance 3.9/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
E-Mail4.9/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
Spend Time Sitting4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Aerospace Engineers97% skill match
Software Developers95% skill match
Electrical and Electronics Drafters94% skill match
Physicists93% skill match
Architectural and Civil Drafters93% skill match
Information Security Analysts93% skill match
Database Administrators92% skill match
Medical Dosimetrists91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Instructingimportance 3.0/5
Operations Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Other Software Used

1CadCam Unigraphics
Adobe LiveMotion
Autodesk Mechanical
Bentley Navigator
Bill of materials software
Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
Dassault Systemes CATIA

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Achievement Orientation
Intellectual Curiosity
Perseverance
Innovation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
ArtisticMedium
EnterprisingLow
SocialLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.