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The differences between design engineers and site 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 site engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $75,719 average annual salary of a site engineer.
The top three skills for a design engineer include C++, UL and project management. The most important skills for a site engineer are project management, infrastructure, and site safety.
| Design Engineer | Site Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,134 | $75,719 |
| Hourly rate | $37.08 | $36.40 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 138,173 | 42,333 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 Site Engineer supervises the building work and contracted staff, and ensures that all projects meet the agreed specifications, budgets, and timescales. They provide technical advice and solve various problems on-site.
Design engineers and site engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Engineer | Site Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,134 | $75,719 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $102,000 | Between $53,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Fitbit |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a design engineer and a site engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Engineer | Site Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between design engineers' and site engineers' demographics:
| Design Engineer | Site Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% |
| 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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.4% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |