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The differences between civil engineering designers and civil 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 civil engineering designer and a civil engineer. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $57,842 average annual salary of a civil engineering designer.
The top three skills for a civil engineering designer include civil 3d, site design and erosion control. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.
| Civil Engineering Designer | Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,842 | $70,950 |
| Hourly rate | $27.81 | $34.11 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 102,791 | 26,803 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A civil engineering designer is responsible for creating designs for industrial systems and residential constructions through statistical analysis and data surveys. Civil engineering designers draft comprehensive design plans as part of project proposals, following the clients' specifications and business requirements. They analyze blueprints and schematics to identify resources and materials that would be highly efficient and optimal to support operational functions. A civil engineering designer must have excellent critical-thinking and technical skills, especially in utilizing computer applications and software systems to generate high-quality design deliverables.
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.
Civil engineering designers and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Engineering Designer | Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $57,842 | $70,950 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $82,000 | Between $51,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a civil engineering designer and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Engineering Designer | Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between civil engineering designers' and civil engineers' demographics:
| Civil Engineering Designer | Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.4% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |