Electrical and Electronics Drafters Salary
In Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, electrical and electronics drafters earn $64,030 at the median, or about $30.78 an hour. The range runs from $59K at the entry level to $116K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 108.8), so that salary is closer to $58,851 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $3,124/month, about 74.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $64K get you in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Maria-Santa Barbara’s Regional Price Parity (108.8). 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 electrical and electronics drafters
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What this looks like in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
Pay for electrical and electronics drafters in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $77K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $3,124/month, which is 73.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 108.8), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for electrical and electronics drafterss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for electrical and electronics drafters in metros near Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $78K | $68K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $116K | $105K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $75K | $67K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $85K | $73K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Entry-level electrical and electronics drafters (10th percentile) start around $59K. Mid-career wages sit at $64K. Top earners bring in $116K or more, a $57K spread from bottom to top.
Electrical and Electronics Drafters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Electrical and Electronics Drafters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $102K | +33% | 220 |
| New Mexico | $101K | +32% | 390 |
| Massachusetts | $87K | +14% | 470 |
| North Carolina | $82K | +7% | 430 |
| Idaho | $82K | +6% | 100 |
| Ohio | $81K | +5% | 510 |
| Texas | $81K | +5% | 1,840 |
| Georgia | $81K | +5% | 470 |
| Indiana | $80K | +4% | 360 |
| Utah | $79K | +3% | 290 |
| Colorado | $79K | +3% | 750 |
| Kentucky | $79K | +3% | 80 |
| California | $78K | +2% | 2,730 |
| Oregon | $78K | +2% | 330 |
| New York | $78K | +1% | 850 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +1% | 240 |
| Minnesota | $77K | +1% | 250 |
| Tennessee | $77K | +0% | 340 |
| Missouri | $77K | -0% | 420 |
| South Carolina | $76K | -1% | 290 |
| Maryland | $76K | -2% | 380 |
| Wisconsin | $76K | -2% | 470 |
| Maine | $75K | -2% | 110 |
| Iowa | $74K | -3% | 180 |
| Michigan | $74K | -4% | 380 |
| Arizona | $73K | -5% | 570 |
| Florida | $73K | -5% | 660 |
| Pennsylvania | $73K | -5% | 500 |
| Washington | $72K | -6% | 390 |
| Nevada | $71K | -7% | 250 |
| Oklahoma | $70K | -10% | 290 |
| Illinois | $68K | -11% | 150 |
| Hawaii | $68K | -11% | 80 |
| Connecticut | $67K | -13% | 430 |
| Wyoming | $65K | -16% | 40 |
| Virginia | $65K | -16% | 280 |
| Delaware | $63K | -17% | 60 |
| Louisiana | $63K | -19% | 150 |
| Kansas | $61K | -21% | 210 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -23% | 190 |
| Mississippi | $59K | -24% | 110 |
| Alabama | $52K | -33% | 300 |
| South Dakota | $51K | -34% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track electrical and electronics drafters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Maria-Santa Barbara numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a electrical and electronics drafter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $64K, rent takes 73.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,124/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for electrical and electronics drafters in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new electrical and electronics drafters typically earn — is $59K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,557/month. At HUD’s $3,124/month FMR, rent would take 88% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is electrical and electronics drafter a high-paying job in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $64K here vs. $77K nationally.
How does Santa Maria-Santa Barbara compare to the national average for electrical and electronics drafters?
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara pays $64K median vs. the U.S. average of $77K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 108.8), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — below the national median.
How much do electrical and electronics drafters make in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
The median is $64,030 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $59,280, and experienced electrical and electronics drafters can clear $115,870. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $64K enough to live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,268/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,124/month, which eats 73.2% 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 electrical and electronics drafters salary go in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara has a Regional Price Parity of 108.8 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median electrical and electronics drafters salary is worth about $58,851 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do electrical and electronics 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.