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The differences between chief engineers and 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 chief engineer and an engineer. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $92,077 average annual salary of an engineer.
The top three skills for a chief engineer include HVAC, plumbing and customer service. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.
| Chief Engineer | Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,050 | $92,077 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 88,473 | 618,207 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Chief engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,050 | $92,077 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $177,000 | Between $65,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | BGC Partners | Fort Bend County |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a chief engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Engineer | Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between chief engineers' and engineers' demographics:
| Chief Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |