Architecture and Engineering
Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Electrical and Electronics Drafters
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Electrical and Electronics Drafters. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$76,870USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$36.96USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $50,040 | $24.06 |
| 25th | $61,430 | $29.53 |
| 50th · Median | $76,870 | $36.96 |
| 75th | $96,730 | $46.50 |
| 90th | $120,290 | $57.83 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Analog Design EngineerAnalog Integrated Circuits Design Engineer (Analog IC Design Engineer)AutoCAD DrafterAutoCAD TechnicianCAD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design Drafter)CAD Draftsman (Computer-Aided Design Draftsman)CADD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Drafter)Circuit Board DrafterCircuit DesignerComputer-Aided Design Designer (CAD Designer)Computer-Aided Design OperatorComputer-Aided Design Technician (CAD Tech)
Expand more title examples (36)
Computer-Aided Drafting and Design DesignerComputer-Aided Drafting and Design OperatorDesign DrafterDesignerDistribution DesignerDrafterDrafting Technician (Drafting Tech)Electrical Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Technician (Electrical CADD Tech)Electrical Computer-Aided Design OperatorElectrical Computer-Aided Drafting and Design DesignerElectrical Controls DesignerElectrical Design TechnicianElectrical DesignerElectrical Distribution DesignerElectrical DrafterElectrical Systems DrafterElectromechanical Design DrafterElectromechanisms Design DrafterElectronic DrafterEngineering AgentEquipment Services Associate (ESA)IC Layout Designer (Integrated Circuit Layout Designer)Instrumentation DesignerLayout DesignerLine StakerMask DesignerMask Layout DesignerPrinted Circuit Board Designer (PCB Designer)Printed Circuit Board Drafter (PCB Drafter)Printed Circuit Board Draftsman (PCB Draftsman)Printed Circuit Board Layout Designer (PCB Layout Designer)Printed Circuit DesignerStaking EngineerStaking Technician (Staking Tech)Systems DesignerTest Fixture Designer
Typical tasks
- Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
- Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
- Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
Expand more tasks (24)
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
- Draw master sketches to scale showing relation of proposed installations to existing facilities and exact specifications and dimensions.
- Review work orders or procedural manuals and confer with vendors or design staff to resolve problems or modify design.
- Locate files relating to specified design project in database library, load program into computer, and record completed job data.
- Examine electronic schematics and supporting documents to develop, compute, and verify specifications for drafting data, such as configuration of parts, dimensions, or tolerances.
- Compare logic element configuration on display screen with engineering schematics and calculate figures to convert, redesign, or modify element.
- Review blueprints to determine customer requirements and consult with assembler regarding schematics, wiring procedures, or conductor paths.
- Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation.
- Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments, as necessary.
- Reproduce working drawings on copy machines or trace drawings in ink.
- Generate computer tapes of final layout design to produce layered photo masks or photo plotting design onto film.
- Determine the order of work and the method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing.
- Visit proposed installation sites and draw rough sketches of location.
- Key and program specified commands and engineering specifications into computer system to change functions and test final layout.
- Copy drawings of printed circuit board fabrication using print machine or blueprinting procedure.
- Select drill size to drill test head, according to test design and specifications, and submit guide layout to designated department.
- Plot electrical test points on layout sheets and draw schematics for wiring test fixture heads to frames.
- Write technical reports and draw charts that display statistics and data.
- Supervise and coordinate work activities of workers engaged in drafting, designing layouts, assembling, or testing printed circuit boards.
- Train students to use drafting machines and to prepare schematic diagrams, block diagrams, control drawings, logic diagrams, integrated circuit drawings, or interconnection diagrams.
- Prepare and interpret specifications, calculating weights, volumes, or stress factors.
- Supervise or train other technologists, technicians, or drafters.
- Use computer-aided drafting equipment or conventional drafting stations, technical handbooks, tables, calculators, or traditional drafting tools, such as boards, pencils, protractors, or T-squares.
Skills used in this work
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Expand more skills (29)
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
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