Hiring a drafter in Grand Rapids, MI

Do Grand Rapids residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay?

Grand Rapids residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $83,086 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,670 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 7%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from surveying and mapping technicians at $52,150 to aerospace engineers at $144,020 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with drafters, all other at $66,240 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Grand Rapids and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

How big is this industry in Kent County?

Architectural, engineering and related services in Kent County employs 3,621 people across 220 establishments, at an average wage of $1,647 a week. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 Q1, private ownership, NAICS 5413.

Michigan does not release to the Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, so this county carries QCEW instead. QCEW counts jobs and payroll and publishes no hires, separations or turnover rate, so there is no local churn figure for Kent County and none is implied here. The employment count tells you how deep the local employer base is: concentrated in relatively few employers, which narrows where a candidate can move and makes passive outreach the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $66,240 median in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $13,248 to $19,872 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a drafter in Grand Rapids

What does it cost to hire a drafter in Grand Rapids?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $66,240 median wage in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $13,248 to $19,872 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a drafter in Grand Rapids look like?

Employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay drafters, all other a median of $66,240, with the middle half of the market between $61,630 and $88,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $61,630 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Grand Rapids residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay?

Grand Rapids residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $83,086 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,670 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 7%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Related

• Hiring Drafters, All Other: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Grand Rapids
• Every Michigan city we cover

Grand Rapids is the 2nd largest of 2 Michigan cities in this dataset.