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The differences between contracting engineers and project 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 contracting engineer and a project engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a contracting engineer include C++, C # and R. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Contracting Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,620 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $58.95 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,631 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Contracting engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracting Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,620 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $173,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | EquiLend | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Energy |
There are a few differences between a contracting engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contracting Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between contracting engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Contracting Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |