CAD, drawing and architectural technicians: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time CAD, drawing and architectural technicians in the UK earned a median £35,221 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £3,818 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 195th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £29,500 and £42,481.
Median full-time pay: women £29,330 a year, men £37,031 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 49,000 employee jobs, 94% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 17.0%, from £30,100, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 54,900 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,108 | £488.70 | £12.95 | £23,817 | £478.60 | £12.94 |
| 20th percentile | £28,250 | £541.90 | £14.29 | £26,442 | £523.40 | £14.27 |
| 25th percentile | £29,500 | £564.30 | £14.64 | £29,265 | £551.20 | £14.60 |
| 30th percentile | £30,648 | £585.10 | £15.19 | £30,487 | £576.70 | £15.21 |
| 40th percentile | £32,990 | £627.60 | £16.51 | £31,567 | £613.30 | £16.32 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £35,221 | £671.50 | £17.83 | £34,465 | £666.60 | £17.68 |
| 60th percentile | £38,687 | £736.50 | £18.99 | £38,000 | £720.60 | £18.95 |
| 70th percentile | £41,035 | £795.30 | £20.23 | £40,692 | £785.50 | £20.27 |
| 75th percentile | £42,481 | £826.00 | £20.96 | £42,230 | £812.70 | £20.98 |
| 80th percentile | £44,988 | £861.60 | £21.86 | £43,780* | £850.90 | £21.90 |
| Mean | £37,639 | £714.50 | £18.56 | £36,863 | £696.40 | £18.57 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £30,100 | £580.70 | £15.15 | £29,768 | £574.90 | 55 |
| 2022 revised | £31,202 | £595.40 | £15.34 | £30,072 | £577.90 | 47 |
| 2023 revised | £32,034 | £637.40 | £16.76 | £31,181 | £621.20 | 53 |
| 2024 revised | £33,797 | £644.80 | £16.82 | £33,282 | £632.40 | 48 |
| 2025 provisional | £35,221 | £671.50 | £17.83 | £34,465 | £666.60 | 49 |
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians by region
UK: 54,900 (± 9,100), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What CAD, drawing and architectural technicians do
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians design and prepare technical drawings, plans, maps, charts and similar items and install, operate and maintain 3D printers. (ONS SOC 2020, 3120)
Also covers: 3D Printing Technician, architect’s assistant, architectural design assistant, architectural technician, CAD designer, cartographer, design technician, draughtsman, architect's assistant, architectural assistant, autocad draughtsman, autocad engineer, autocad technician, bim technician, boundary examiner, cad coordinator, cad draughtsman and cad engineer (74 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines design specification and technical information to determine general requirements
- Considers the suitability of different materials with regard to the dimensions and weight and calculates the likely fatigue, stresses, tolerances, bonds and threads
- Prepares regulatory and statutory applications
- Monitors health and safety in design and contributes to design stage risk assessment
- Prepares design drawings, plans or sketches using CAD and traditional methods and checks feasibility of construction and compliance with health and safety regulations
- Prepares detailed drawings, plans, charts or maps that include natural features, desired surface finish, elevations, electrical circuitry and other details as required
Entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades, BTEC/ SQA awards or another appropriate certificate/diploma or A levels/H grades. Further training consists of courses of study and supervised practical experience.
Related
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (median £35,221) · Science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. · Planning, process and production technicians · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026