Pay by state · 48 states
Mechanical Drafter Salary by State (2026)
Mechanical Drafters earn the most in New Mexico at $89,940 a year and the least in South Dakota at $52,610 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $71,550. All 48 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $89,940New Mexico
- National median
- $71,550BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $52,610South Dakota
- States reporting
- 48of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Mechanical Drafter salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of mechanical drafters OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NMNew Mexico | $89,940 | $85,730 | $128,400 | 90 | $97,536 |
| 2 | COColorado | $85,280 | $70,420 | $117,240 | 580 | $82,754 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $83,380 | $72,030 | $99,340 | 690 | $76,633 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $82,510 | $65,900 | $102,860 | 3,640 | $74,521 |
| 5 | TXTexas | $79,380 | $61,710 | $93,600 | 4,630 | $81,787 |
| 6 | LALouisiana | $77,730 | $57,980 | $122,330 | 420 | $88,122 |
| 7 | NDNorth Dakota | $77,570 | $62,220 | $81,740 | 100 | $87,197 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $76,820 | $61,560 | $109,480 | 1,690 | $71,786 |
| 9 | MDMaryland | $76,740 | $59,620 | $100,090 | 360 | $73,114 |
| 10 | NYNew York | $76,490 | $62,640 | $92,610 | 1,940 | $70,876 |
| 11 | MEMaine | $76,360 | $61,470 | $76,360 | 620 | $78,681 |
| 12 | NVNevada | $75,830 | $56,880 | $94,260 | 250 | $75,846 |
| 13 | MAMassachusetts | $75,490 | $61,990 | $96,570 | 620 | $71,381 |
| 14 | OROregon | $74,000 | $59,920 | $96,780 | 410 | $71,594 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $73,090 | $62,940 | $79,870 | 1,220 | $74,112 |
| 16 | VTVermont | $73,040 | $56,610 | $84,100 | 70 | $74,563 |
| 17 | MIMichigan | $72,280 | $57,720 | $94,900 | 2,030 | $75,122 |
| 18 | OHOhio | $70,580 | $57,720 | $80,360 | 1,790 | $76,077 |
| 19 | UTUtah | $70,000 | $58,100 | $83,190 | 490 | $70,804 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $69,630 | $60,010 | $83,380 | 630 | $68,870 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $69,290 | $59,460 | $80,780 | 100 | $67,745 |
| 22 | KYKentucky | $68,880 | $61,990 | $74,990 | 510 | $76,398 |
| 23 | CTConnecticut | $68,830 | $56,110 | $86,800 | 450 | $66,432 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $68,050 | $55,830 | $79,280 | 1,540 | $65,803 |
| 25 | AZArizona | $67,410 | $57,700 | $80,660 | 630 | $66,957 |
| 26 | GAGeorgia | $66,670 | $59,900 | $83,960 | 820 | $69,237 |
| 27 | MOMissouri | $66,350 | $58,360 | $84,430 | 870 | $73,059 |
| 28 | KSKansas | $65,250 | $52,610 | $82,840 | 540 | $72,445 |
| 29 | WVWest Virginia | $65,100 | $55,660 | $81,320 | 140 | $72,740 |
| 30 | WIWisconsin | $63,770 | $58,390 | $76,550 | 1,630 | $67,772 |
| 31 | SCSouth Carolina | $63,740 | $55,140 | $80,240 | 640 | $67,990 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $63,480 | $53,500 | $78,490 | 2,330 | $65,060 |
| 33 | OKOklahoma | $63,440 | $50,640 | $76,690 | 650 | $72,220 |
| 34 | TNTennessee | $63,390 | $51,360 | $76,540 | 740 | $69,000 |
| 35 | IAIowa | $63,330 | $54,230 | $79,900 | 630 | $72,161 |
| 36 | ILIllinois | $63,320 | $56,710 | $81,480 | 450 | $63,347 |
| 37 | INIndiana | $62,820 | $52,000 | $77,270 | 1,300 | $67,310 |
| 38 | NENebraska | $61,170 | $48,930 | $76,730 | 530 | $67,889 |
| 39 | WYWyoming | $61,070 | $50,130 | $65,420 | 60 | $65,886 |
| 40 | MSMississippi | $60,460 | $47,720 | $80,270 | 260 | $69,532 |
| 41 | ARArkansas | $59,960 | $51,860 | $70,750 | 250 | $68,969 |
| 42 | IDIdaho | $59,050 | $48,900 | $86,420 | 330 | $61,836 |
| 43 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,050 | $49,450 | $71,340 | 1,350 | $62,602 |
| 44 | DEDelaware | $57,110 | $52,670 | $67,990 | 160 | $57,220 |
| 45 | NHNew Hampshire | $55,390 | $45,770 | $74,480 | N/A | $53,175 |
| 46 | ALAlabama | $53,600 | $45,160 | $76,960 | 440 | $60,345 |
| 47 | PRPuerto Rico | $53,470 | $43,680 | $61,050 | 320 | N/A |
| 48 | SDSouth Dakota | $52,610 | $47,860 | $65,190 | 100 | $59,389 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Mechanical Drafters, that changes the ranking: New Mexico leads on raw pay at $89,940, while New Mexico leads once prices are taken into account at $97,536.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Mechanical Drafter pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Mechanical Drafters the most?
New Mexico reports the highest median wage for Mechanical Drafters at $89,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Colorado ($85,280) and New Jersey ($83,380).
Which state pays Mechanical Drafters the least?
South Dakota reports the lowest median for Mechanical Drafters at $52,610 a year, $37,330 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Mechanical Drafters earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts New Mexico first at $97,536 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $89,940. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.