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The differences between automotive engineers and research 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 automotive engineer and a research engineer. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $82,211 average annual salary of an automotive engineer.
The top three skills for an automotive engineer include CAD, ISO and adaptive. The most important skills for a research engineer are python, java, and software development.
| Automotive Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $96,945 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $46.61 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 136,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automotive engineer specializes in designing and developing vehicles for public or private use. Their job entails conducting extensive research and analyses, conceptualizing plans with fellow experts, building prototypes and structures, troubleshooting problems, and implementing multiple test procedures to identify how the vehicle operates at different conditions and ensure its quality adheres to standards and regulations. Besides developing new vehicles, an automotive engineer may also modify existing models, which requires them to study the market and consumers' feedback, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and coordinate upgrades.
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Automotive engineers and research engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $96,945 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $67,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cal | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and a research engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between automotive engineers' and research engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |