Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Also called: Analog Design Engineer, Analog Integrated Circuits Design Engineer (Analog IC Design Engineer), AutoCAD Drafter, AutoCAD Technician, CAD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design Drafter), CAD Draftsman (Computer-Aided Design Draftsman), CADD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Drafter), Circuit Board Drafter
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
What electrical and electronics drafters do
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.
- 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Electrical and Electronics Drafters salary
The median annual wage for electrical and electronics drafters is $76,870 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $50,040 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $120,290. The mean annual wage is $81,280.
The mean hourly wage of $39.00 is 5.4× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Electrical and Electronics Drafters (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $76,870 → in 3 years $81,800 → in 5 years $85,200 → in 10 years $94,500 (10-year range $81,300–$109,800). The model assumes pay growth of +2.1% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Electrical and Electronics Drafters? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become electrical and electronics drafters
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as electrical and electronics drafters
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.