All About Electrical Drafters
Occupation Description Develop specifications and instructions for installation of voltage transformers, overhead or underground cables, and related electrical equipment used to conduct electrical energy from transmission lines or high-voltage distribution lines to consumers.
A Day in the Life of an Electrical Drafter
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
- Reproduce working drawings on copy machines or trace drawings in ink.
- Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation.
- Draw master sketches to scale showing relation of proposed installations to existing facilities and exact specifications and dimensions.
- Write technical reports and draw charts that display statistics and data.
- Use computer-aided drafting equipment or conventional drafting stations, technical handbooks, tables, calculators, and traditional drafting tools, such as boards, pencils, protractors, and T-squares.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Electrical Drafter?
Below is a list of the skills most Electrical Drafters say are important on the job.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
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.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- CAD Technician (Computer Aided Drafting Technician)
- Engineering Agent
- Electrical Computer Aided Design Operator (Electrical CAD Operator)
- Line Staker
- AutoCAD Designer
What Kind of Electrical Drafter Job Opportunities Are There?
In the United States, there were 27,400 jobs for Electrical Drafter in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,900 new jobs for Electrical Drafter by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,600 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Electrical Drafter are Nevada, Colorado, and Vermont. Watch out if you plan on working in Washington, Wyoming, or South Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Electrical Drafters Make A Lot Of Money?
The average yearly salary of an Electrical Drafter ranges between $36,660 and $99,240.

Electrical Drafters who work in District of Columbia, Washington, or Vermont, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Electrical Drafters in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $55,550 |
Alaska | $67,360 |
Arizona | $63,790 |
Arkansas | $60,730 |
California | $76,420 |
Colorado | $60,430 |
Connecticut | $58,250 |
Delaware | $65,480 |
District of Columbia | $87,870 |
Florida | $55,390 |
Georgia | $54,220 |
Hawaii | $63,020 |
Idaho | $44,760 |
Illinois | $68,930 |
Indiana | $57,980 |
Iowa | $61,380 |
Kansas | $45,910 |
Kentucky | $58,200 |
Louisiana | $68,510 |
Maine | $58,190 |
Maryland | $61,750 |
Massachusetts | $63,880 |
Michigan | $47,620 |
Minnesota | $63,870 |
Mississippi | $60,340 |
Missouri | $61,420 |
Montana | $51,960 |
Nebraska | $56,520 |
Nevada | $57,850 |
New Hampshire | $65,740 |
New Jersey | $69,950 |
New Mexico | $74,870 |
New York | $69,500 |
North Carolina | $47,690 |
North Dakota | $62,400 |
Ohio | $59,680 |
Oklahoma | $64,650 |
Oregon | $70,700 |
Pennsylvania | $63,170 |
South Carolina | $63,210 |
Tennessee | $63,600 |
Texas | $60,760 |
Utah | $61,660 |
Vermont | $77,590 |
Virginia | $61,160 |
Washington | $88,120 |
West Virginia | $63,740 |
Wisconsin | $54,720 |
Wyoming | $57,530 |
What Tools & Technology do Electrical Drafters Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Electrical Drafters may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Access
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Visio
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS
- Bentley MicroStation
- PTC Creo Parametric
- Autodesk Revit
- Verilog
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- PTC Pro/INTRALINK
- PTC Pro/Pipe
- PTC Pro/CABLE
- Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Project Management
Becoming an Electrical Drafter
What kind of Electrical Drafter requirements are there?

How Long Does it Take to Become an Electrical Drafter?

Electrical Drafters Sector

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as an Electrical Drafter sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Pixabay via CC0 License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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