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The differences between aircraft designers and aircraft engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aircraft designer and an aircraft engineer. Additionally, an aircraft designer has an average salary of $91,919, which is higher than the $72,867 average annual salary of an aircraft engineer.
The top three skills for an aircraft designer include MATLAB, installation drawings and CATIA. The most important skills for an aircraft engineer are DOD, aircraft systems, and CAD.
| Aircraft Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,919 | $72,867 |
| Hourly rate | $44.19 | $35.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 46,747 | 5,718 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Aircraft designers and aircraft engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aircraft Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,919 | $72,867 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $137,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Joby Aviation |
| Best paying industry | - | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an aircraft designer and an aircraft engineer in terms of educational background:
| Aircraft Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between aircraft designers' and aircraft engineers' demographics:
| Aircraft Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 19.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.8% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |