Architectural and Civil Drafters Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,213/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new architectural and civil drafters typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,995/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $66K nationally, a 4% difference.

Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $66K — that’s -4%.

The median is $63,200 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,920, and experienced architectural and civil drafters can clear $77,850. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,163/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,213/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median architectural and civil drafters salary is worth about $63,200 in national-average purchasing power.

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.