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Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 17-3012.00United States

Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$74,471

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+0.1%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Bachelor's degree

40.1% of the workforce

Employment
20.19K jobs

Growing to 20.21K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What electrical and electronics drafters do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • 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.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$46,677
25th percentile
$58,530
50th percentile
$74,471
75th percentile
$95,923
90th percentile
$125,753

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $74,471 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+0.1%average or slower
202520,192 jobs
2035 projected20,206 jobs

14 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
40.1%
Associate degree
23.6%
Certificate
21.1%
Some college
6.7%
High school diploma or less
6.1%
Master's or Professional degree
2.5%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • AutoCAD
  • Autodesk Revit
  • Project Management
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Construction
  • Building Information Modeling
  • Electrical Systems
  • 3D Modeling
  • MicroStation (CAD Design Software)
  • Engineering Design Process
  • Electric Power Distribution
  • Autodesk Navisworks
  • Navisworks (BIM Software)
  • Industry Standards
  • Bill Of Materials
  • Wiring Diagram
  • Programmable Logic Controllers
  • Electrical Wiring
  • Power Distribution

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

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.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
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.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
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.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Electrical Designers2,483 postings
  2. 02Substation Designers555 postings
  3. 03PLC Programmers413 postings
  4. 04Designers408 postings
  5. 05PCB Designers397 postings
  6. 06Controls Engineers357 postings
  7. 07BIM Designers256 postings
  8. 08Electrical Design Technicians254 postings
  9. 09Lead Electrical Designers243 postings
  10. 10Electrical Drafters230 postings
  11. 11Mechanical Designers226 postings
  12. 12Drafters192 postings
  13. 13Distribution Designers185 postings
  14. 14Electrical Engineers/Designers169 postings
  15. 15Building Information Modelling Consultants147 postings
  16. 16Automation Controls Engineers136 postings
  17. 17BIM Coordinators130 postings
  18. 18BIM Technicians117 postings
  19. 19Electrical and Instrumentation Designers110 postings
  20. 20Design Technicians101 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Actalent971 postings
  2. 02Jacobs Solutions578 postings
  3. 03Sargent & Lundy392 postings
  4. 04Henderson Engineers353 postings
  5. 05GPAC158 postings
  6. 06Insight Global145 postings
  7. 07CDM Smith138 postings
  8. 08Stantec124 postings
  9. 09Olsson123 postings
  10. 10HDR113 postings
  11. 11WSP Global110 postings
  12. 12Entegee99 postings
  13. 13Hargrove & Associates99 postings
  14. 14Kiewit Corporation96 postings
  15. 15Burns & McDonnell95 postings
  16. 16Hargrove Engineers + Constructors94 postings
  17. 17Entrust Solutions Group85 postings
  18. 18Harley Ellis Devereaux85 postings
  19. 19Fluor72 postings
  20. 20Imeg Corp71 postings

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