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The differences between contract project engineers and project lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a contract project engineer, becoming a project lead engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $77,050 average annual salary of a contract project engineer.
The top three skills for a contract project engineer include construction projects, construction management and HVAC. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Contract Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,050 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $37.04 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 105,706 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Contract project engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,050 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $105,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a contract project engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between contract project engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Contract Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 12.3% White, 70.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |