SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-3013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Mechanical Drafters — Ocala

Ocala, FL · 10 metro areas compared

$59,140 /year
$28.43per hour
80jobs in area
−17.3%vs US median

The median wage for Mechanical Drafters in Ocala, FL is $59,140 per year, 17.3% below the national median of $71,550.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $71,55010TH$48,68025TH$53,070MEDIAN$59,14075TH$77,18090TH$84,980

How pay has moved

$72,508$32,2032019202020212022202320242025$59,140
$38,920 in 2019 to $59,140 in 2025, +52% 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
-6.5%
Openings per year
3,300
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

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

6.6% 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 Ocala, FL.

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 for Mechanical Drafters in Ocala, FL is $59,140 per year, 17.3% below the national median of $71,550. Pay ranges from under $48,680 at the tenth percentile to more than $84,980 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $53,070 to $77,180.

The area has 80 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.6 of every thousand jobs. Miami leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $73,230. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 101st of 313 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Ocala, FL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$48,680−32.0%
25th$53,070−25.8%
Median (50th)$59,140−17.3%
75th$77,180+7.9%
90th$84,980+18.8%
Mean$64,370−10.0%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Florida

Median annual wage for Mechanical Drafters, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Miami$73,230340
2Tampa$72,170230
3Deltona$69,37040
4Jacksonville$68,88090
5Lakeland$67,38050
6Cape Coral$63,79040
7Palm Bay$63,47080
8Orlando$63,140230
9North Port$60,68080
10Panama City$60,26030

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Ocala run 4.8% below the national average, so the median of $59,140 goes as far as $62,122 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 13.2% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$59,140as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$62,122US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $59,140 a year, 17.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $48,680 to $84,980 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Miami, at $73,230.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Mechanical Drafters in Ocala, FL?

The median annual wage is $59,140, or $28.43 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 $71,550, so pay in Ocala, FL is 17.3% lower. 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 Ocala, FL earns more than $84,980 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $48,680 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 Miami, at $73,230 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Ocala, FL. 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.

Mechanical Drafters Salary in Ocala, FL (2025): $59,140 Median | Salary Explorer