DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 7,378 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 109,550 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Architectural and Civil Drafters
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $61,502 | +24.2% | 28 | 12 |
| Newport Beach, CA | $60,000 | +21.2% | 10 | 7 |
| BERKELEY, CA | $58,240 | +17.7% | 21 | 15 |
| San Francisco, CA | $58,000 | +17.2% | 263 | 104 |
| New York, NE | $57,824 | +16.8% | 239 | 131 |
| Orange, CA | $57,533 | +16.2% | 10 | 5 |
| Oakland, CA | $56,160 | +13.5% | 44 | 25 |
| Miami Beach, FL | $56,000 | +13.1% | 10 | 7 |
| Cupertino, CA | $56,000 | +13.1% | 13 | 5 |
| Portland, OR | $55,000 | +11.1% | 11 | 10 |
| Longwood, FL | $55,000 | +11.1% | 12 | 2 |
| Phoenix, AR | $54,080 | +9.3% | 15 | 11 |
| San Diego, CA | $54,040 | +9.2% | 26 | 15 |
| BROOKLYN, NE | $53,800 | +8.7% | 37 | 29 |
| Boston, MA | $53,498 | +8.1% | 170 | 69 |
| Palo Alto, CA | $53,019 | +7.1% | 14 | 6 |
| Somerville, MA | $53,000 | +7.1% | 39 | 6 |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | $53,000 | +7.1% | 11 | 5 |
| Vienna, VA | $52,500 | +6.1% | 12 | 4 |
| New Haven, CT | $52,395 | +5.8% | 42 | 6 |
| PASADENA, CA | $52,000 | +5.1% | 25 | 13 |
| Irvine, CA | $52,000 | +5.1% | 21 | 12 |
| Alameda, CA | $52,000 | +5.1% | 21 | 1 |
| Venice, CA | $52,000 | +5.1% | 15 | 7 |
| SANTA MONICA, CA | $51,740 | +4.5% | 26 | 16 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $51,272 | +3.6% | 305 | 129 |
| Washington, DC | $51,000 | +3% | 56 | 27 |
| Dobbs Ferry, NY | $50,613 | +2.2% | 10 | 3 |
| SACRAMENTO, CA | $50,502 | +2% | 10 | 7 |
| Cambridge, MA | $50,200 | +1.4% | 34 | 24 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $56,000 | -7% | 361 |
| Oregon | $55,000 | -18.4% | 15 |
| Colorado | $54,000 | -29.8% | 59 |
| Arkansas | $53,000 | -12.2% | 33 |
| California | $52,000 | -30.1% | 1,196 |
| Connecticut | $50,960 | -23.9% | 63 |
| South Carolina | $50,000 | -20.5% | 7 |
| Massachusetts | $50,000 | -34.1% | 307 |
| District of Columbia | $50,000 | -43.5% | 74 |
| Washington | $49,858 | -23.5% | 91 |
| Arizona | $49,254 | -19.9% | 35 |
| New Hampshire | $49,026 | -21% | 5 |
| New York | $48,568 | -35% | 1,326 |
| Kentucky | $48,000 | -11.5% | 5 |
| Minnesota | $47,154 | -29.8% | 24 |
| Maryland | $46,987 | -34.6% | 77 |
| North Carolina | $46,880 | -26.3% | 48 |
| North Dakota | $46,519 | -31.6% | 2 |
| Virginia | $46,072 | -28.1% | 74 |
| Illinois | $45,540 | -19.5% | 182 |
| Wyoming | $45,438 | -27.1% | 16 |
| Ohio | $45,240 | -25.3% | 33 |
| Michigan | $45,000 | -22.4% | 53 |
| Oklahoma | $45,000 | -28.6% | 21 |
| Georgia | $45,000 | -31% | 99 |
| Alabama | $44,720 | -20.2% | 5 |
| Texas | $44,637 | -27.5% | 237 |
| Rhode Island | $44,000 | -34.2% | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,000 | -30.6% | 84 |
| Tennessee | $43,520 | -33% | 14 |
| Louisiana | $43,300 | -40.3% | 18 |
| Nevada | $43,300 | -39.4% | 8 |
| Mississippi | $43,250 | -24.9% | 2 |
| Missouri | $43,000 | -31% | 38 |
| Florida | $42,848 | -29.9% | 264 |
| Indiana | $42,340 | -30.4% | 14 |
| Iowa | $42,000 | -34% | 1 |
| New Jersey | $42,000 | -26.6% | 108 |
| Utah | $41,600 | -33.3% | 21 |
| New Mexico | $40,343 | -31.7% | 6 |
| Wisconsin | $40,000 | -35.8% | 11 |
| Hawaii | $39,000 | -39.2% | 4 |
| Kansas | $38,000 | -37.6% | 1 |
| Idaho | $37,440 | -36.2% | 1 |
| Montana | $32,448 | -52.3% | 1 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Architectural and Civil Drafters positions, 54% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 31% required a Master's degree, and 10% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. | Not specified | $55,000 |
| Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP | Not specified | $52,500 |
| AECOM Technical Services Inc | Master's | $51,000 |
| Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Inc. | Bachelor's | $57,200 |
| STUDIOS Architecture | Bachelor's | $56,618 |
| Rafael Vinoly Architects PC | Master's | $53,000 |
| M. ARTHUR GENSLER JR. AND ASSOCIATES | Master's | $55,435 |
| Laguarda Low Architects | Bachelor's | $52,000 |
| Stantec Architecture Inc. | Bachelor's | $56,098 |
| M. ARTHUR GENSLER, JR. & ASSOCIATES, INC. | Not specified | $46,197 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Architectural and Civil Drafters is Real Estate at $53,711. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Manufacturing at $50,431.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 7,378 DOL filings, the median salary for a Architectural and Civil Drafters is $49,500, ranging from $42,162 to $56,056.
The 90th percentile salary is $98,190 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, San Jose, CA offers the highest median at $61,502.
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Architectural and Civil Drafters positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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