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The differences between civil engineering designers and senior 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 senior civil engineer. Additionally, a senior civil engineer has an average salary of $83,749, 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 senior civil engineer are civil 3d, project management, and CAD.
| Civil Engineering Designer | Senior Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,842 | $83,749 |
| Hourly rate | $27.81 | $40.26 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 102,791 | 38,162 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 senior civil engineer is primarily in charge of overseeing the development of public structures such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, and roads. They are responsible for spearheading the design and planning stages, setting goals and objectives, managing budgets and timelines, performing due diligence, inspecting construction sites, and documenting the procedures. Above all, as a senior civil engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a role model to fellow engineers and contractors, all while implementing the construction site's safety policies and regulations.
Civil engineering designers and senior civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Engineering Designer | Senior Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $57,842 | $83,749 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $82,000 | Between $60,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a civil engineering designer and a senior civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Engineering Designer | Senior Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 senior civil engineers' demographics:
| Civil Engineering Designer | Senior Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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, 3.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 16.6% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |