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The differences between bridge engineers and structures engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a bridge engineer and a structures engineer. Additionally, a bridge engineer has an average salary of $78,679, which is higher than the $73,391 average annual salary of a structures engineer.
The top three skills for a bridge engineer include autocad, structural analysis and AASHTO. The most important skills for a structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Bridge Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,679 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $37.83 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 16,970 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A bridge engineer specializes in planning and overseeing bridge construction, ensuring efficiency and safety. Their responsibilities typically revolve around understanding the needs of every project and sites, coordinating with experts, setting goals and objectives, managing the budgets and schedules, and developing procedures to optimize construction operations. Furthermore, as a bridge engineer, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while enforcing the safety policies and regulations to maintain a safe and productive work environment for everyone.
A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Bridge engineers and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bridge Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,679 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $103,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a bridge engineer and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Bridge Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between bridge engineers' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Bridge Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.1% Female, 15.9% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.5% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |