Architectural and Civil Drafters
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 17-3011.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $65,818
- Projected change
- +8.3%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 104.32K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
54.6% of the workforce
Growing to 113.01K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What architectural and civil drafters do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices.
- Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects, such as highways, sewage disposal systems, and dikes, working from sketches or notes.
- Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans.
- Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on architectural designs.
- Draw maps, diagrams, and profiles, using cross-sections and surveys, to represent elevations, topographical contours, subsurface formations, and structures.
- Lay out and plan interior room arrangements for commercial buildings, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment and software.
- Supervise and train other technologists, technicians, and drafters.
- Determine the order of work and method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing.
- Finish and duplicate drawings and documentation packages according to required mediums and specifications for reproduction, using blueprinting, photography, or other duplicating methods.
- Draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings, and structures, based on preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets, and other data.
- Correlate, interpret, and modify data obtained from topographical surveys, well logs, and geophysical prospecting reports.
- Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to lists of materials.
- Determine procedures and instructions to be followed, according to design specifications and quantity of required materials.
- Supervise or conduct field surveys, inspections, or technical investigations to obtain data required to revise construction drawings.
- Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments as necessary.
- Obtain and assemble data to complete architectural designs, visiting job sites to compile measurements as necessary.
- Determine quality, cost, strength, and quantity of required materials, and enter figures on materials lists.
- Locate and identify symbols on topographical surveys to denote geological and geophysical formations or oil field installations.
- Create freehand drawings and lettering to accompany drawings.
- Calculate excavation tonnage and prepare graphs and fill-hauling diagrams for use in earth-moving operations.
- Prepare colored drawings of landscape and interior designs for presentation to client.
- Calculate weights, volumes, and stress factors and their implications for technical aspects of designs.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $45,679
- 25th percentile
- $55,208
- 50th percentile
- $65,818
- 75th percentile
- $80,761
- 90th percentile
- $100,155
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $65,818 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.3%faster than average
2025104,321 jobs
2035 projected113,010 jobs
8,689 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 54.6%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 25.8%
- Associate degree
- 17.9%
- Certificate
- 0.9%
- High school diploma or less
- 0.4%
- Some college
- 0.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- 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.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Designers2,922 postings
- 02Architectural Designers2,102 postings
- 03Civil Designers1,311 postings
- 04Structural Designers1,280 postings
- 05Structural Design Engineers930 postings
- 06Architects832 postings
- 07Civil Design Engineers706 postings
- 08Drafters468 postings
- 09BIM Modelers466 postings
- 10Project Architects459 postings
- 11Project Designers435 postings
- 12Truss Designers415 postings
- 13Architectural Drafters410 postings
- 14Revit Designers359 postings
- 15Civil 3D Designers293 postings
- 16Civil Engineering Designers271 postings
- 17Civil/Structural Designers270 postings
- 18Architecture Designers228 postings
- 19Design Professionals214 postings
- 20Land Development Civil Engineers212 postings
Top employers
- 01Actalent1,465 postings
- 02GPAC1,014 postings
- 03Jacobs Solutions710 postings
- 04Gensler394 postings
- 05Stantec324 postings
- 06Floor & Decor309 postings
- 07Olsson303 postings
- 08Kimley-Horn282 postings
- 09HDR258 postings
- 10AECOM225 postings
- 11Kiewit Corporation205 postings
- 12Insight Global204 postings
- 13Cushman & Wakefield187 postings
- 14Crate & Barrel185 postings
- 15WSP Global185 postings
- 16Colliers Engineering & Design170 postings
- 17Gai Consultants162 postings
- 18Thomas And Hutton134 postings
- 19Sargent & Lundy131 postings
- 20Blue Origin121 postings
Keep looking