Mechanical Drafters
Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.
- O*NET-SOC code
17-3013.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$71,550
Employment, U.S.39,960
Median hourly wage$34.40
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $48,360 | $58,080 | $71,550 | $86,120 | $106,580 |
By state (48)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 440 | $53,600 | 0.81 |
| Alaska | 50 | Not available | 0.55 |
| Arizona | 630 | $67,410 | 0.76 |
| Arkansas | 250 | $59,960 | 0.74 |
| California | 3,640 | $82,510 | 0.78 |
| Colorado | 580 | $85,280 | 0.78 |
| Connecticut | 450 | $68,830 | 1.02 |
| Delaware | 160 | $57,110 | 1.26 |
| Florida | 1,540 | $68,050 | 0.60 |
| Georgia | 820 | $66,670 | 0.65 |
| Idaho | 330 | $59,050 | 1.49 |
| Illinois | 450 | $63,320 | 0.29 |
| Indiana | 1,300 | $62,820 | 1.58 |
| Iowa | 630 | $63,330 | 1.58 |
| Kansas | 540 | $65,250 | 1.47 |
| Kentucky | 510 | $68,880 | 1.00 |
| Louisiana | 420 | $77,730 | 0.85 |
| Maine | 620 | $76,360 | 3.75 |
| Maryland | 360 | $76,740 | 0.51 |
| Massachusetts | 620 | $75,490 | 0.67 |
| Michigan | 2,030 | $72,280 | 1.80 |
| Minnesota | 1,220 | $73,090 | 1.61 |
| Mississippi | 260 | $60,460 | 0.88 |
| Missouri | 870 | $66,350 | 1.15 |
| Nebraska | 530 | $61,170 | 2.01 |
| Nevada | 250 | $75,830 | 0.64 |
| New Hampshire | $55,390 | ||
| New Jersey | 690 | $83,380 | 0.62 |
| New Mexico | 90 | $89,940 | 0.40 |
| New York | 1,940 | $76,490 | 0.78 |
| North Carolina | 1,350 | $59,050 | 1.06 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $77,570 | 0.86 |
| Ohio | 1,790 | $70,580 | 1.26 |
| Oklahoma | 650 | $63,440 | 1.49 |
| Oregon | 410 | $74,000 | 0.81 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,330 | $63,480 | 1.50 |
| Rhode Island | 100 | $69,290 | 0.76 |
| South Carolina | 640 | $63,740 | 1.09 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $52,610 | 0.87 |
| Tennessee | 740 | $63,390 | 0.88 |
| Texas | 4,630 | $79,380 | 1.28 |
| Utah | 490 | $70,000 | 1.09 |
| Vermont | 70 | $73,040 | 0.84 |
| Virginia | 630 | $69,630 | 0.60 |
| Washington | 1,690 | $76,820 | 1.85 |
| West Virginia | 140 | $65,100 | 0.76 |
| Wisconsin | 1,630 | $63,770 | 2.15 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $61,070 | 0.81 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial and Industrial Designers | 4 | 0.969 |
| 2 | Mechatronics Engineers | 4 | 0.960 |
| 3 | Aerospace Engineers | 4 | 0.957 |
| 4 | Mechanical Engineers | 4 | 0.955 |
| 5 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 4 | 0.954 |
| 6 | Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.953 |
| 7 | Automotive Engineers | 4 | 0.951 |
| 8 | Electrical Engineers | 4 | 0.950 |
| 9 | Industrial Engineers | 4 | 0.950 |
| 10 | Fuel Cell Engineers | 4 | 0.948 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Mechanical Drafters, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers | Operations Monitoring | 1.13 | 0.930 |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | Persuasion | 0.88 | 0.924 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Mechanical Drafters, excluding software Mechanical Drafters already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| National Instruments LabVIEW | 18 of 20 | 13.4x |
| The MathWorks MATLAB | 19 of 20 | 7.9x |
| C++ | 18 of 20 | 7.6x |
| C | 15 of 20 | 10.0x |
| Microsoft Visual Basic | 15 of 20 | 7.2x |
| Finite element method FEM software | 8 of 20 | 33.6x |
| MathWorks Simulink | 9 of 20 | 21.9x |
| Python | 16 of 20 | 5.6x |
| Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software | 11 of 20 | 8.2x |
| Verilog | 8 of 20 | 15.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Design | 4.57 | 5.18 |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.39 | 5.05 |
| Mechanical | 4.23 | 4.86 |
| Mathematics | 3.90 | 4.20 |
| Production and Processing | 3.59 | 3.47 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.45 | 3.87 |
| Physics | 3.22 | 3.18 |
| English Language | 3.17 | 3.14 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.56 | 2.44 |
| Education and Training | 2.49 | 2.85 |
| Administrative | 2.47 | 2.67 |
| Administration and Management | 2.40 | 2.86 |
| Building and Construction | 2.19 | 1.86 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.05 | 1.97 |
| Communications and Media | 1.89 | 1.21 |
| Chemistry | 1.86 | 2.23 |
| Transportation | 1.79 | 1.48 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.76 | 1.14 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.73 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.57 | 1.37 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.54 | 0.91 |
| Law and Government | 1.49 | 0.43 |
| Telecommunications | 1.34 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.25 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.24 | not rated |
| Psychology | 1.24 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.13 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.08 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.06 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.06 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.03 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.03 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Visualization | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Oral Expression | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Written Expression | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Number Facility | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Originality | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.00 | 3.75 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Memorization | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.62 | 1.25 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Autodesk AutoCAD in demand
- Autodesk Revit in demand
- Bentley MicroStation in demand
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Microsoft Word in demand
- Autodesk Inventor in demand
- Autodesk Navisworks in demand
- NavisWorks Jetstream in demand
- Adobe After Effects hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D hot
- ESRI ArcGIS software hot
- Extensible markup language XML hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- SAP software hot
- Trimble SketchUp Pro hot
- 1CadCam Unigraphics
- Adobe LiveMotion
- Autodesk Mechanical
- Bentley Navigator
- Bill of materials software
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Document management system software
- ERP software
All 43
- Graphic presentation software
- McNeel Rhinoceros 3D
- Motion graphics software
- Non uniform rational b-splines NURBS software
- PTC Creo Parametric
- PTC Pro/Cable
- Piping and instrumentation design PID software
- Rapid prototyping software
- Reverse engineering software
- Scanning software
- Siemens Solid Edge
- SofTech CADRA
- Three-dimensional scanning software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 570 | 7.75 | $76,360 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 140 | 4.24 | $58,880 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 130 | 4.13 | $68,830 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 140 | 2.92 | $62,730 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 120 | 2.74 | $87,220 |
| Green Bay, WI | 120 | 2.67 | $61,590 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 160 | 2.45 | $61,060 |
| Tulsa, OK | 280 | 2.40 | $68,640 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 360 | 2.35 | $74,490 |
| Wichita, KS | 190 | 2.35 | $82,590 |