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The differences between design engineers and senior 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 design engineer and a senior design engineer. Additionally, a senior design engineer has an average salary of $104,698, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a design engineer include C++, UL and project management. The most important skills for a senior design engineer are CAD, project management, and RF.
| Design Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,134 | $104,698 |
| Hourly rate | $37.08 | $50.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 138,173 | 127,035 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A senior design engineer is responsible for creating mechanical and electrical designs for machines and systems, following clients' specifications and business guidelines. Senior design engineers also assist junior design engineers with their tasks, sharing best practices and techniques, and suggesting adjustments as needed. They also oversee the manufacturing process, inspect possible inconsistencies, and revise plans without exceeding the agreed budget or compromising the quality. A senior design engineer must be keen with details and highly organizational, especially on meeting deadlines with the highest client satisfaction.
Design engineers and senior design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,134 | $104,698 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $102,000 | Between $80,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design engineer and a senior design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design engineers' and senior design engineers' demographics:
| Design Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |