SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-3019 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Drafters, All Other — Syracuse

Syracuse, NY · 3 metro areas compared

$68,500 /year
$32.94per hour
30jobs in area
+7.8%vs US median

The median wage here is $68,500 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $63,520.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $63,52010TH$43,80025TH$56,070MEDIAN$68,50075TH$74,92090TH$98,210

How pay has moved

$73,545$43,27520202022202320242025$68,500
$48,320 in 2020 to $68,500 in 2025, +41.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-6.9%
Openings per year
1,300
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

6.5% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Syracuse, NY.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $68,500 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $63,520. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $56,070 and $74,920. The lowest tenth earn under $43,800, while the highest tenth earn more than $98,210.

The area has 30 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, New York records the highest median at $81,220. Of the 518 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 220th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Syracuse, NY · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$43,800−31.0%
25th$56,070−11.7%
Median (50th)$68,500+7.8%
75th$74,920+17.9%
90th$98,210+54.6%
Mean$68,460+7.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in New York

Median annual wage for Drafters, All Other, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1New York$81,220550
2Buffalo$62,08090
3Rochester$61,53050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Syracuse run 4.3% below the national average, so the median of $68,500 goes as far as $71,578 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.7% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$68,500as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$71,578US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $68,500 a year, 7.8% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $43,800 to $98,210 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 30 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is New York, at $81,220.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Drafters, All Other in Syracuse, NY?

The median annual wage is $68,500, or $32.94 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $63,520, so pay in Syracuse, NY is 7.8% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Syracuse, NY earns more than $98,210 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $43,800 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in New York, at $81,220 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 30 jobs in this occupation in Syracuse, NY. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.