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The differences between contract mechanical engineers 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 mechanical engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a contract mechanical engineer has an average salary of $84,269, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a contract mechanical engineer include solidworks, assembly drawings and autocad. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Contract Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,269 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $40.51 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 84,503 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Contract mechanical engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,269 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $110,000 | 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 mechanical engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between contract mechanical engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Contract Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 69.1% 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% |