H-1B Hiring for Architectural and Civil Drafters Shows Geographic Concentration and Rising FY2025 Demand
Explore H-1B visa filings for Architectural and Civil Drafters. View sponsoring employers, salary data from 100 filings, and approval rates from DOL public records.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total H-1B Petitions | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 95% |
| Average Salary | $80,315 |
| Salary Range | $41,662 - $480,000 |
| Top Sponsor | Design Workshop, Inc. |
| Primary Location | California |
Architectural and Civil Drafters is one of the H-1B visa categories with 65 filings and an average salary of $189,660. H-1B hiring for Architectural and Civil Drafters is heavily concentrated in a few states, with NY and CA leading significantly. The average salary for H-1B hires in this role is substantially higher than the median salary for all drafters, indicating a demand for specialized skills or experience. There's a notable increase in H-1B petitions filed for FY2025, suggesting growing employer interest in this talent pool. The number of H-1B petitions filed is relatively small compared to the overall workforce size, implying a niche but potentially high-value segment of the labor market.
| Total Filings | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 95% |
| Average Salary | $80,315 |
| Median Salary | $72,987 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,400 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,300 |
| Minimum Salary | $41,662 |
| Maximum Salary | $480,000 |
| 10th Percentile | $56,742 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,400 |
| Median (50th) | $72,987 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,300 |
| 90th Percentile | $100,000 |
| Average | $80,315 |
| Sample Size | 98 |
| Visa Class | Filings |
|---|---|
| H-1B | 83 |
| E-3 AUSTRALIAN | 14 |
| H-1B1 CHILE | 2 |
| H-1B1 SINGAPORE | 1 |
| Education Level | Filings |
|---|---|
| Not Specified | 100 |
| Employer | Filings | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Design Workshop, Inc. | 9 | $68k |
| Ward & Gray LLC | 3 | $134k |
| Miller-Roodell Architects | 2 | $58k |
| ISMAEL LEYVA ARCHITECTS, P.C. | 2 | $62k |
| Massa Multimedia Architecture PC | 2 | $64k |
| Leroy Street Studio Architecture, D.P.C. | 2 | $121k |
| Payette Associates, Inc. | 2 | $106k |
| D'Amato Conversano, Inc. | 2 | $84k |
| MVE & Partners, Inc. | 2 | $68k |
| BYEY BEY LLC | 2 | $75k |
| State | Filings |
|---|---|
| California | 26 |
| New York | 26 |
| Texas | 8 |
| New Jersey | 5 |
| Virginia | 4 |
| Massachusetts | 4 |
| Colorado | 4 |
| Illinois | 3 |
| North Carolina | 3 |
| Washington | 3 |
Focus your H-1B job search on New York and California, highlighting specialized drafting skills and experience that justify a higher salary to align with employer needs.
The average H-1B salary for Architectural and Civil Drafters is $189,660, with a median of $75,000. The 25th-75th percentile range is $64,000 to $87,000.
Top H-1B sponsors for Architectural and Civil Drafters include Design Workshop, Inc., STUDIOS Architecture, GHD, Inc., Payette Associates, Inc., MVE & Partners, Inc.. A total of 55 employers have filed for this role.
There are 65 H-1B filings on record for Architectural and Civil Drafters positions. 96.9% were certified.
The top states for H-1B Architectural and Civil Drafters positions are New York (19), California (18), Massachusetts (4), New Jersey (3), Virginia (3).
Yes, Architectural and Civil Drafters is a qualifying occupation for H-1B visa sponsorship. There are 65 approved H-1B petitions for this role in the database.
H-1B Architectural and Civil Drafters salaries range from $53,340 to $3,901,924. The median salary is $75,000.
The approval rate for Architectural and Civil Drafters H-1B petitions is 96.9%. New York and California are the primary destinations for H-1B Architectural and Civil Drafters.
The average H-1B salary ($75,000) is significantly above the national median salary ($53,340) for drafters.
Focus your H-1B job search on New York and California, highlighting specialized drafting skills and experience that justify a higher salary to align with employer needs.
A large majority of the H-1B petitions are for FY2025, indicating a forward-looking hiring strategy.
The Architectural and Civil Drafters occupation (SOC code 17-301100) is classified under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The SOC system groups workers into occupational categories based on the type of work performed, providing a standardized framework for comparing wages, employment levels, and workforce trends across the United States.
Architectural and Civil Drafters positions fall within the specialty occupation category required for H-1B visa sponsorship, meaning they typically require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specific specialty. Based on H-1B filing data, the most common education requirement for Architectural and Civil Drafters positions is Not Specified (100 filings), followed by other degree levels.
Across 100 LCA filings tracked by H1BSalaryCheck, Architectural and Civil Drafters positions show an average offered salary of $80,315, with a range from $41,662 at the entry level to $480,000 for senior positions. The largest concentration of H-1B filings for this role is in California (26 filings) and New York (26 filings).
Career outlook for Architectural and Civil Drafters professionals is closely tied to industry demand for specialized skills. Employers sponsoring H-1B workers for this role are demonstrating that they could not find sufficient qualified U.S. workers to fill these positions, which often signals strong demand and competitive compensation. Workers in this occupation may also be eligible for other visa categories including L-1 intracompany transfers, O-1 extraordinary ability visas, or employment-based green card sponsorship through the PERM process.
To sponsor a foreign worker for an H-1B visa in a Architectural and Civil Drafters role, U.S. employers must satisfy several requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and enforced by both the Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):
The position must qualify as a "specialty occupation," meaning it requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specific specialty directly related to the position. For Architectural and Civil Drafters roles, H-1B filings indicate that employers most commonly require a Not Specified degree. USCIS evaluates whether the position itself, not just the employer's preference, genuinely requires specialized education.
Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic area of employment, as determined by the DOL. The prevailing wage is based on four skill levels (Level 1 through Level 4) that reflect the complexity of the job duties and required experience. For Architectural and Civil Drafters positions, the average offered salary of $80,315 exceeds prevailing wages by an average of 27.8%, with 76% of filings offering above the prevailing wage.
Before filing the H-1B petition, employers must obtain a certified LCA from the DOL. The LCA requires employers to attest to four conditions: (1) paying at least the prevailing wage or actual wage, whichever is higher; (2) providing working conditions that do not adversely affect similarly employed U.S. workers; (3) no strike or lockout at the worksite; and (4) proper notice of the filing to workers. The overall LCA approval rate for Architectural and Civil Drafters positions is 95%.
The annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000 regular visas plus 20,000 for beneficiaries with U.S. master's degrees or higher (the "master's cap"). Certain employers, including institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations, are exempt from the cap. Architectural and Civil Drafters positions at cap-exempt employers can be filed at any time during the year, while cap-subject employers must participate in the annual H-1B lottery, typically held in March for the following fiscal year.
H-1B visas are initially granted for up to three years and can be extended for a maximum of six years total. Workers who have an approved I-140 immigrant petition (part of the green card process) may be eligible for extensions beyond the six-year limit under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21). The average contract duration for Architectural and Civil Drafters H-1B filings is approximately 32 months.
Cities with the most H-1B filings for Architectural and Civil Drafters positions.
Other H-1B job categories related to Architectural and Civil Drafters, grouped by similar SOC classification codes.