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The differences between design engineers and industrial designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a design engineer, becoming an industrial designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $63,384 average annual salary of an industrial designer.
The top three skills for a design engineer include C++, UL and project management. The most important skills for an industrial designer are industrial design, solidworks, and CAD.
| Design Engineer | Industrial Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,134 | $63,384 |
| Hourly rate | $37.08 | $30.47 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 138,173 | 54,012 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Industrial Designers work with clients to conceptualize product ideas. They collaborate with clients in creating product blueprints, samples, and mock-ups. Industrial Designers create drafts based on the clients' ideas, keeping in mind the different requirements as well as aesthetic qualities that the clients envision. They usually specialize in a specific product category such as toys, furniture, and cars, among others. Industrial Designers also collaborate with other professionals such as manufacturers, materials experts, safety experts, and other product makers to ensure the feasibility and the product safety of the concepts they come up with.
Design engineers and industrial designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Engineer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average salary | $77,134 | $63,384 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $102,000 | Between $43,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design engineer and an industrial designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Engineer | Industrial Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between design engineers' and industrial designers' demographics:
| Design Engineer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |