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The differences between acoustical engineers and contracting engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an acoustical engineer and a contracting engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $93,808 average annual salary of an acoustical engineer.
The top three skills for an acoustical engineer include transducers, data analysis and DSP. The most important skills for a contracting engineer are C++, C #, and R.
| Acoustical Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,808 | $122,620 |
| Hourly rate | $45.10 | $58.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 74,331 | 115,631 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An acoustical engineer works primarily with sound; they reduce noise pollution in areas like construction sites and airports. Noise pollution is particularly hard to contain, which means an acoustical engineer is essential to manage the potential hazards of constant high-decibel sounds. Their job involves inspecting a location, determining the loudest areas, recommending measures to minimize noise pollution, and implementing all approved recommendations.
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
Acoustical engineers and contracting engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acoustical Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,808 | $122,620 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $126,000 | Between $86,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | EquiLend |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between an acoustical engineer and a contracting engineer in terms of educational background:
| Acoustical Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between acoustical engineers' and contracting engineers' demographics:
| Acoustical Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 15.7% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |