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The differences between civil designers and mechanical designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a civil designer and a mechanical designer. Additionally, a mechanical designer has an average salary of $62,541, 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 a mechanical designer are mechanical design, revit, and auto cad.
| Civil Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,421 | $62,541 |
| Hourly rate | $28.09 | $30.07 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 57,036 | 65,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Civil designers and mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $58,421 | $62,541 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $81,000 | Between $46,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Walnut Creek, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between a civil designer and a mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between civil designers' and mechanical designers' demographics:
| Civil Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |