Mechanical Drafters
SOC Code: 17-3013 Job Zone 3: Medium Preparation Needed
Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.
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Prevailing Wage Levels (National)
DOL/OFLC prevailing wage thresholds for Mechanical Drafters. Hourly rates x 2,080 = annual.
FY2027 Weighted Lottery Impact
| Level | Lottery Entries | Est. Selection Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Entry) | 1 entry | ~16% |
| Level II (Qualified) | 2 entries | ~31% |
| Level III (Experienced) | 3 entries | ~45% |
| Level IV (Expert) | 4 entries | ~61% |
Prevailing Wages by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $72,883 | $95,389 | $117,915 | $140,421 |
| Salinas, CA | $61,464 | $82,368 | $103,272 | $124,176 |
| Merced, CA | $61,048 | $81,869 | $102,669 | $123,490 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $69,930 | $86,216 | $102,482 | $118,768 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $51,688 | $73,965 | $96,262 | $118,539 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $60,778 | $79,373 | $97,968 | $116,563 |
| Boulder, CO | $67,309 | $83,595 | $99,861 | $116,147 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $62,192 | $80,101 | $98,030 | $115,939 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $59,509 | $77,605 | $95,701 | $113,797 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $57,928 | $76,336 | $94,723 | $113,131 |
H-1B Filing Data
Top H-1B Employers
| Employer | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited | 18 | $68,177 |
| HCL AMERICA INC | 5 | $66,402 |
| East Coast Metal Structures Corp | 4 | $65,000 |
| GEOMETRIC AMERICAS, INC. | 4 | $82,784 |
| HCL America Solutions Inc | 3 | $70,949 |
| Emco Elevator, LLC | 3 | $54,387 |
| New York Technology Partners, Inc. | 2 | $70,000 |
| Geomentric America | 2 | $80,298 |
| Gaumer Company Inc. | 2 | $76,045 |
| HCL AMERICA, INC. | 2 | $75,655 |
Filing Trend
| Year | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 9 | $66,919 |
| 2021 | 6 | $68,411 |
| 2022 | 1 | $80,861 |
| 2023 | 15 | $68,472 |
| 2024 | 18 | $72,235 |
| 2025 | 9 | $81,171 |
Key Skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 3.2 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.2 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.2 | |
| Active Listening | 3.2 | |
| Active Learning | 3.2 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Knowledge Areas
| Knowledge | Importance |
|---|---|
| Design | 4.8 |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.7 |
| Mechanical | 4.5 |
| Mathematics | 4.4 |
| English Language | 3.9 |
| Physics | 3.9 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.8 |
| Production and Processing | 3.3 |
Education Requirements
| Education Level | % of Workers |
|---|---|
| Associate's degree | 61.3% |
| Bachelor's degree | 20.2% |
| Some college | 8.0% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 7.5% |
| Doctoral degree | 2.8% |
Typical Tasks
- Develop detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies, tools, and controls, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment.
- Coordinate with and consult other workers to design, lay out, or detail components and systems and to resolve design or other problems.
- Review and analyze specifications, sketches, drawings, ideas, and related data to assess factors affecting component designs and the procedures and instructions to be followed.
- Compute mathematical formulas to develop and design detailed specifications for components or machinery, using computer-assisted equipment.
- Position instructions and comments onto drawings.
- Modify and revise designs to correct operating deficiencies or to reduce production problems.
- Design scale or full-size blueprints of specialty items, such as furniture and automobile body or chassis components.
- Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to the materials.
Technology Skills
Green = Hot Technology in demand
Adobe After Effects Autodesk AutoCAD Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Autodesk Revit Bentley MicroStation Dassault Systemes SolidWorks ESRI ArcGIS software Extensible markup language XML Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Project Microsoft Word
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