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The differences between civil designers and architectural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a civil designer, becoming an architectural designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an architectural designer has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $58,421 average annual salary of a civil designer.
The top three skills for a civil designer include civil 3d, autocad and civil engineering. The most important skills for an architectural designer are sketch, sketchup, and BIM.
| Civil Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,421 | $59,122 |
| Hourly rate | $28.09 | $28.42 |
| Growth rate | 7% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 57,036 | 54,358 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.
An Architectural Designer is specialized in planning and designing structures/urban landscapes. They ensure that company policies and standards are maintained when providing services to clients.
Civil designers and architectural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Average salary | $58,421 | $59,122 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $81,000 | Between $45,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Walnut Creek, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Professional |
There are a few differences between a civil designer and an architectural designer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Architecture |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between civil designers' and architectural designers' demographics:
| Civil Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |