Architectural and Civil Drafters Salary
The median pay for a architectural and civil drafters in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $74,230/year ($35.69/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $106K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.07), that's roughly $75,691 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,852/month, about 35.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $74K get you in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos’s Regional Price Parity (98.07). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About architectural and civil drafters
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos sits well above the national pay line for architectural and civil drafters, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $66K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,852/month, which is 36.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.07) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for architectural and civil drafters in metros near Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $63K | $64K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $67K | $65K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $59K | $62K |
| El Paso | $55K | $61K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Entry-level architectural and civil drafters (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $74K. Top earners bring in $106K or more, a $58K spread from bottom to top.
Architectural and Civil Drafters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Architectural and Civil Drafters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $98K | +48% | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $77K | +16% | 2,660 |
| California | $77K | +16% | 11,400 |
| Colorado | $76K | +15% | 3,570 |
| Connecticut | $76K | +15% | 810 |
| New York | $76K | +15% | 7,380 |
| Maryland | $75K | +14% | 910 |
| Georgia | $75K | +13% | 3,970 |
| Oregon | $74K | +12% | 1,490 |
| Delaware | $73K | +10% | 290 |
| Washington | $73K | +10% | 2,530 |
| Rhode Island | $72K | +8% | 240 |
| Minnesota | $71K | +7% | 1,930 |
| Tennessee | $69K | +5% | 1,310 |
| Nevada | $67K | +1% | 1,100 |
| Maine | $66K | +0% | 440 |
| Montana | $66K | -1% | 600 |
| West Virginia | $66K | -1% | 330 |
| New Hampshire | $65K | -1% | 400 |
| Pennsylvania | $65K | -2% | 5,370 |
| Arizona | $65K | -2% | 2,120 |
| North Dakota | $65K | -2% | 380 |
| South Carolina | $65K | -2% | 1,170 |
| Utah | $64K | -3% | 1,820 |
| Iowa | $64K | -3% | 980 |
| Wyoming | $64K | -4% | 200 |
| Hawaii | $64K | -4% | 610 |
| Virginia | $63K | -4% | 2,600 |
| Texas | $63K | -4% | 11,710 |
| New Jersey | $63K | -5% | 2,280 |
| Wisconsin | $63K | -5% | 2,200 |
| North Carolina | $63K | -5% | 2,680 |
| Florida | $63K | -5% | 7,530 |
| Arkansas | $62K | -6% | 980 |
| Kansas | $62K | -6% | 630 |
| Oklahoma | $62K | -6% | 1,260 |
| Missouri | $62K | -6% | 2,270 |
| Idaho | $62K | -7% | 1,010 |
| Nebraska | $62K | -7% | 850 |
| Ohio | $61K | -7% | 2,860 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -8% | 1,040 |
| Vermont | $61K | -8% | 230 |
| Kentucky | $60K | -9% | 870 |
| Indiana | $60K | -9% | 2,240 |
| Mississippi | $60K | -9% | 330 |
| Michigan | $58K | -12% | 2,100 |
| Illinois | $58K | -12% | 1,310 |
| Alabama | $57K | -14% | 1,010 |
| South Dakota | $52K | -21% | 460 |
| New Mexico | $50K | -24% | 690 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track architectural and civil drafters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Frequently asked questions
Can a architectural and civil drafter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 36.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,852/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for architectural and civil drafters in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new architectural and civil drafters typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,914/month. At HUD’s $1,852/month FMR, rent would take 64% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is architectural and civil drafter a high-paying job in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $74K here vs. $66K nationally.
How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compare to the national average for architectural and civil drafters?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $66K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $76K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do architectural and civil drafters make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The median is $74,230 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,570, and experienced architectural and civil drafters can clear $106,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $74K enough to live in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,051/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,852/month, which eats 36.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a architectural and civil drafters salary go in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has a Regional Price Parity of 98.07 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median architectural and civil drafters salary is worth about $75,691 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do architectural and civil drafters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.