Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Architectural and Civil Drafters
Occupation · SOC 17-3011.00
Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.
Also called: Architectural Drafter · Civil Drafter · Computer-Aided Drafting Designer (CAD Designer) · Draftsman · Architectural Designer · Architectural Draftsman · Computer-Aided Design Designer (CAD Designer) · Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Drafter (CADD Drafter) · Drafting Technician · Draftsperson · Architect · Architectural CAD Drafter (Architectural Computer-Aided Design Drafter)
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-3011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+4.1% by 2034)
- 10,000 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $64,280/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (47th), high AI task-overlap now (80th)
80th-percentile task overlap — yet about 10,000 openings a year (+4.1% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 71st | 0.9 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 88th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 74th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.5 · 47th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Create freehand drawings and lettering to accompany drawings. | 0.6% | |
| Draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings, and structures, based on preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets, and other data. | 0.2% | |
| Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on architectural designs. | 0.2% | |
| Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments as necessary. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +4.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 10,000 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 110,500 → 115,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Architectural and Civil Drafters sits at the 64th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
35% mean task exposure (2025)
64th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−10 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Draughtspersons · 3118 | 35% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 28 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices. Core · importance 4.9
- Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects, such as highways, sewage disposal systems, and dikes, working from sketches or notes. Core · importance 4.6
- Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans. Core · importance 4.4
- Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on architectural designs. Core · importance 4.3
- Draw maps, diagrams, and profiles, using cross-sections and surveys, to represent elevations, topographical contours, subsurface formations, and structures. Core · importance 4.2
- Lay out and plan interior room arrangements for commercial buildings, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment and software. Core · importance 4.1
- Supervise and train other technologists, technicians, and drafters. Core · importance 4.1
- Determine the order of work and method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing. Core · importance 4.1
- Finish and duplicate drawings and documentation packages according to required mediums and specifications for reproduction, using blueprinting, photography, or other duplicating methods. Core · importance 4.0
- Draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings, and structures, based on preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets, and other data. Core · importance 4.0
- Correlate, interpret, and modify data obtained from topographical surveys, well logs, and geophysical prospecting reports. Core · importance 3.9
- Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to lists of materials. Core · importance 3.9
- Determine procedures and instructions to be followed, according to design specifications and quantity of required materials. Core · importance 3.8
- Supervise or conduct field surveys, inspections, or technical investigations to obtain data required to revise construction drawings. Core · importance 3.7
- Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments as necessary. Core · importance 3.6
- Obtain and assemble data to complete architectural designs, visiting job sites to compile measurements as necessary. Core · importance 3.5
- Determine quality, cost, strength, and quantity of required materials, and enter figures on materials lists. Core · importance 3.5
- Locate and identify symbols on topographical surveys to denote geological and geophysical formations or oil field installations. Core · importance 3.5
- Create freehand drawings and lettering to accompany drawings. Core · importance 3.5
- Calculate excavation tonnage and prepare graphs and fill-hauling diagrams for use in earth-moving operations. Core · importance 3.3
- Prepare colored drawings of landscape and interior designs for presentation to client. Core · importance 3.2
- Calculate weights, volumes, and stress factors and their implications for technical aspects of designs. Core · importance 3.1
- Plot characteristics of boreholes for oil and gas wells from photographic subsurface survey recordings and other data, representing depth, degree, and direction of inclination. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Reproduce drawings on copy machines or trace copies of plans and drawings, using transparent paper or cloth, ink, pencil, and standard drafting instruments. Supplemental · importance 2.6
- Calculate heat loss and gain of buildings and structures to determine required equipment specifications, following standard procedures. Supplemental · importance 2.3
- Prepare cost estimates, contracts, bidding documents, and technical reports for specific projects under an architect's or engineer's supervision.
- Represent architect or engineer on construction site, ensuring builder compliance with design specifications and advising on design corrections, under supervision.
- Review rough sketches, drawings, specifications, and other engineering data to ensure that they conform to design concepts.
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Use drone technology to capture aerial views and topographical data for civil engineering projects.
Work activities
- Create graphical representations of civil structures.
- Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
- Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.
- Create maps.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
- Verify mathematical calculations.
- Determine operational methods.
- Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
- Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.
- Collect data about project sites.
- Estimate operational costs.
- Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
- Prepare procedural documents.
- Review technical documents to plan work.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Create graphical representations of energy production systems.
- Prepare technical reports for internal use.
- Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
- Monitor processes for compliance with standards.
- Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
- Review details of technical drawings or specifications.
- Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Writing | 3.4 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | |
| Active Listening | 3.3 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Visualization | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.4 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.4 | |
| Originality | 3.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.4 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.1 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 | |
| Time Management | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Instructing | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 53.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 81.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Architecture and Related Services , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Engineering | 5.6 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 3.8 | |
| Information Technology | 3.6 | |
| Visual Arts | 3.5 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.5 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.9 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.4 | |
| Office Work | 2.1 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.5 | |
| Conventional | 4.9 | |
| Artistic | 4.5 | |
| Investigative | 4.2 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.8 | |
| Dependability | 2.3 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $44,040 |
| 25th percentile | $52,880 |
| Median (50th) | $64,280 |
| 75th percentile | $79,510 |
| 90th percentile | $98,190 |
| People employed | 109,550 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 82,740 | $64,020 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 41,300 | $64,840 |
| Construction · Sector | 11,950 | $67,760 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 7,350 | $62,020 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1,820 | $74,270 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 1,530 | $72,900 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,150 | $66,250 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 970 | $61,680 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 540 | $55,920 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 530 | $63,040 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 490 | $71,220 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 390 | $49,880 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Services · National industry | 50.28× | 41,300 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 10.81× | 82,740 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 2.34× | 390 |
| Construction · Sector | 2.07× | 11,950 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 1.7× | 1,530 |
| Masonry Contractors · National industry | 0.98× | 100 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 0.92× | 100 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.91× | 1,820 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction career cluster.
- Mechanical Drafters · 17-3013.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters · 17-3012.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3022.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3027.00 Compare →
- Architectural and Engineering Managers · 11-9041.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineers · 17-2051.00 Compare →
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval · 17-1011.00 Compare →
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic · 51-4192.00 Compare →
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians · 17-3031.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3023.00 Compare →
- Industrial Engineers · 17-2112.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Architectural and Civil Drafters — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Architecture and Related Services · field of study
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 64th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Architectural and Civil Drafters show 80th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 10,000 annual U.S. openings
- Architectural and Civil Drafters rank in the 80th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 10,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $64,280, across about 109,550 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Architectural and Civil Drafters show 80th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 10,000 annual U.S. openings • Architectural and Civil Drafters rank in the 80th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 10,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $64,280, across about 109,550 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Architectural and Civil Drafters". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Architectural and Civil Drafters." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Architectural and Civil Drafters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3011-00,
title = {Architectural and Civil Drafters},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.