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The differences between design manufacturing engineers and 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 manufacturing engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $102,492, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a design manufacturing engineer include CNC, continuous improvement and GD. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,492 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $49.27 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 127,555 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A design manufacturing engineer specializes in designing and developing manufacturing systems and equipment. They primarily conduct research and analyses, develop drafts and prototypes, set and implement test systems, troubleshoot issues, and maintain extensive records. They may also assess existing systems to identify their weaknesses and strengths, fix or repair components, perform adjustments, and provide technical support to staff as necessary. Moreover, a design manufacturing engineer empowers staff to reach goals and implements safety standards and policies for a safe and productive work environment.
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.
Design manufacturing engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,492 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design manufacturing engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design manufacturing engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |