Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Architectural and Civil Drafters?
Task-level automation exposure for Architectural and Civil Drafters: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
54%
weighted task index
26 of 26 tasks scored
Median Salary
$66,150 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
103,700 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.2%
employment change
9,100 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$44,720 – $97,880
Highest medians
District of Columbia $97,880
Massachusetts $76,990
California $76,520
Colorado $76,370
Connecticut $76,290
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $44,720
New Mexico $50,230
South Dakota $52,470
Guam $56,710
Alabama $57,100
State figures come from the 17-3011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 54%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 0%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 79%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 5%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 0/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 42%
12 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 45%
11 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 12%
3 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 05/2025 · AI/SME
Use drone technology to capture aerial views and topographical data for civil engineering projects.
Constituent Tasks
#21917 · Core · 45% automatable
Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices.
text generation — Civil drawings need licensed engineering judgment
Create graphical representations of civil structures.
#21920 · Core · 62% automatable
Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on architectural designs.
data analysis — Evaluates technical data impact; engineer owns design
Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.
#21926 · Core · 50% automatable
Draw rough and detailed scale plans for foundations, buildings, and structures, based on preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets, and other data.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21919 · Core · 50% automatable
Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21931 · Core · 58% automatable
Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments as necessary.
decision support — AI explains specs; contextual engineering judgment human
Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.
#21932 · Core · 18% automatable
Obtain and assemble data to complete architectural designs, visiting job sites to compile measurements as necessary.
physical manipulation — On-site data collection needs physical presence and instruments
Collect data about project sites.
#21922 · Core · 50% automatable
Lay out and plan interior room arrangements for commercial buildings, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment and software.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21943 · Core · 63% automatable
Represent architect or engineer on construction site, ensuring builder compliance with design specifications and advising on design corrections, under supervision.
decision support — Proposes design changes; human validates feasibility
Monitor processes for compliance with standards. Provide technical guidance to other personnel. Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
#21944 · Core · 63% automatable
Review rough sketches, drawings, specifications, and other engineering data to ensure that they conform to design concepts.
visual inspection — Technical drawing review aided, human verifies
Review details of technical drawings or specifications. Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
#21921 · Core · 60% automatable
Draw maps, diagrams, and profiles, using cross-sections and surveys, to represent elevations, topographical contours, subsurface formations, and structures.
visual inspection — Generates maps; cartographic accuracy and standards human
Create maps.
#21924 · Core · 72% automatable
Determine the order of work and method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing.
text generation — Detailed work plans drafted from specifications
Prepare detailed work plans.
#21925 · Core · 45% automatable
Finish and duplicate drawings and documentation packages according to required mediums and specifications for reproduction, using blueprinting, photography, or other duplicating methods.
text generation — Civil drawings need licensed engineering judgment
Create graphical representations of civil structures.
#21930 · Core · 18% automatable
Supervise or conduct field surveys, inspections, or technical investigations to obtain data required to revise construction drawings.
situated mobility — Field survey of land/water bodies
Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
#21923 · Core · 30% automatable
Supervise and train other technologists, technicians, and drafters.
interpersonal — Supervising engineers needs accountability and motivation
Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
#21927 · Core · 72% automatable
Correlate, interpret, and modify data obtained from topographical surveys, well logs, and geophysical prospecting reports.
data analysis — Evaluates operations from data; human owns conclusions
Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
#21918 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects, such as highways, sewage disposal systems, and dikes, working from sketches or notes.
text generation — Civil drawings need licensed engineering judgment
Create graphical representations of civil structures.
#21942 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Prepare cost estimates, contracts, bidding documents, and technical reports for specific projects under an architect's or engineer's supervision.
text generation — Internal technical reports drafted; human reviews
Estimate operational costs. Prepare technical reports for internal use. Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
#21929 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Determine procedures and instructions to be followed, according to design specifications and quantity of required materials.
decision support — Operational methods aided; human decides
Determine operational methods.
#21933 · Supplemental · 71% automatable
Determine quality, cost, strength, and quantity of required materials, and enter figures on materials lists.
text generation — Draft procedural documents from provided content
Estimate operational costs. Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects. Prepare procedural documents.
#21935 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Create freehand drawings and lettering to accompany drawings.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21928 · Supplemental · 90% automatable
Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to lists of materials.
data analysis — Arithmetic verification is deterministic and reliable
Verify mathematical calculations.
#21938 · Supplemental · 68% automatable
Calculate weights, volumes, and stress factors and their implications for technical aspects of designs.
data analysis — Estimates from specs; human validates assumptions and risk
Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
#21934 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Locate and identify symbols on topographical surveys to denote geological and geophysical formations or oil field installations.
text generation — Review technical docs to plan work
Review technical documents to plan work.
#21940 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Reproduce drawings on copy machines or trace copies of plans and drawings, using transparent paper or cloth, ink, pencil, and standard drafting instruments.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21937 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Prepare colored drawings of landscape and interior designs for presentation to client.
visual inspection — Generates structure graphics; survey accuracy human
Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
#21941 · Supplemental · 68% automatable
Calculate heat loss and gain of buildings and structures to determine required equipment specifications, following standard procedures.
data analysis — Operational cost estimation from data
Estimate operational costs.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="architectural-and-civil-drafters"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> Method
How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
See the full method →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->