Drafters, All Other
All drafters not listed separately.
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What the data says: Jobs are projected to shrink 7.3% by 2035. Its tasks haven't been rated for what AI could do. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other drafters”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 43% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,320 | $36,750 to $61,030 | 50 |
| Arizona | $70,070 | $52,640 to $83,200 | 430 |
| Arkansas | $48,020 | $35,810 to $73,530 | 100 |
| California | $73,390 | $61,160 to $90,850 | 1,750 |
| Colorado | $67,320 | $61,470 to $78,490 | 280 |
| Connecticut | $66,620 | $57,320 to $79,720 | 140 |
| Florida | $59,970 | $50,910 to $74,080 | 670 |
| Georgia | $62,400 | $48,150 to $80,600 | 550 |
| Idaho | $56,430 | $47,930 to $68,480 | 60 |
| Illinois | $53,300 | $48,120 to $78,150 | 190 |
| Indiana | $58,600 | $52,790 to $69,380 | 50 |
| Iowa | $60,750 | $48,470 to $63,820 | 230 |
| Kansas | $66,040 | $58,580 to $82,120 | 50 |
| Kentucky | $57,930 | $49,180 to $64,110 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $68,470 | $53,990 to $88,380 | 1,200 |
| Maine | $55,460 | $47,500 to $67,410 | 40 |
| Maryland | $55,640 | $45,920 to $75,390 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $72,100 | $62,590 to $79,980 | 170 |
| Michigan | $67,750 | $56,590 to $87,960 | 360 |
| Minnesota | $63,220 | $55,480 to $80,130 | 170 |
| Mississippi | $67,730 | $63,560 to $92,570 | 70 |
| Missouri | $61,990 | $48,220 to $72,310 | 400 |
| Montana | $63,200 | $57,130 to $75,950 | 280 |
| Nebraska | $58,640 | $44,940 to $69,380 | 110 |
| Nevada | $62,400 | $58,990 to $73,730 | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $70,710 | $60,840 to $85,850 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $77,840 | $62,550 to $96,050 | 350 |
| New York | $72,190 | $62,080 to $94,310 | 610 |
| North Carolina | $59,500 | $47,040 to $67,650 | 320 |
| Ohio | $57,610 | $50,130 to $69,970 | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $49,920 | $44,800 to $68,870 | 40 |
| Oregon | $58,790 | $47,940 to $75,660 | 660 |
| Pennsylvania | $54,240 | $47,840 to $65,000 | 250 |
| Puerto Rico | $59,870 | $43,100 to $62,650 | 80 |
| South Carolina | $61,250 | $58,630 to $75,160 | 60 |
| Tennessee | not published | not published | 320 |
| Texas | $59,990 | $48,190 to $72,550 | 2,450 |
| Utah | $69,420 | $52,900 to $86,310 | 170 |
| Vermont | $59,930 | $40,630 to $74,000 | 90 |
| Virginia | $67,220 | $57,370 to $82,780 | 170 |
| Washington | $72,800 | $60,600 to $82,920 | 520 |
| Wisconsin | $73,040 | $55,640 to $80,470 | 200 |
Nationally: $63,520. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for drafters, all other specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 32,088 moves out
- 1 Mechanical Drafters High -6.0% 9%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 7%
- 4 Mechanical Engineers Very high +11.2% 5%
- 5 Architectural and Engineering Managers High +5.5% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 30,293 moves in
- 1 Mechanical Drafters High -6.0% 8%
- 2 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 7%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Mechanical Engineers Very high +11.2% 4%
- 5 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 12% high school
- 26% some college
- 35% associate's
- 24% bachelor's
- 2% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other drafters” · 962 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other drafters”
5 programs, such as Surveying Technology/Surveying, Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General and CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician.
See all
- Surveying Technology/Surveying
- Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General
- CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician
- 3-D Modeling and Design Technology/Technician
- Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/17-3019.00