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The differences between contract designers and design 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 contract designer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $58,458 average annual salary of a contract designer.
The top three skills for a contract designer include assembly drawings, sketch and web banners. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Contract Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,458 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $28.10 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 51,980 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The primary duty of a Contract Designer is to deliver creative strategies and design concepts that meet the objectives of the company's project. They work with members of the sales team and/or marketing designers.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Contract designers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $58,458 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $86,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a contract designer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between contract designers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Contract Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |