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The differences between acoustical engineers and product 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 product engineer. Additionally, an acoustical engineer has an average salary of $93,808, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for an acoustical engineer include transducers, data analysis and DSP. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Acoustical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,808 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $45.10 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 74,331 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Acoustical engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acoustical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,808 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $126,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| 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 product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Acoustical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineers' demographics:
| Acoustical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |