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The differences between civil engineers and civil 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 engineer and a civil designer. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $58,421 average annual salary of a civil designer.
The top three skills for a civil engineer include civil 3d, engineering design and cost estimates. The most important skills for a civil designer are civil 3d, autocad, and civil engineering.
| Civil Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,950 | $58,421 |
| Hourly rate | $34.11 | $28.09 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 26,803 | 57,036 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
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.
Civil engineers and civil designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Average salary | $70,950 | $58,421 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $97,000 | Between $41,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Walnut Creek, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a civil engineer and a civil designer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between civil engineers' and civil designers' demographics:
| Civil Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |