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The differences between acoustical engineers and design 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 design engineer. Additionally, an acoustical engineer has an average salary of $93,808, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for an acoustical engineer include transducers, data analysis and DSP. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Acoustical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,808 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $45.10 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 74,331 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Acoustical engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acoustical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,808 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $126,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an acoustical engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Acoustical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 design engineers' demographics:
| Acoustical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |