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The differences between electrical controls engineers and instrumentation & control engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an electrical controls engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $82,681 average annual salary of an electrical controls engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical controls engineer include HMI, PLC and allen-bradley. The most important skills for an instrumentation & control engineer are PLC, HMI, and SCADA.
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,681 | $92,464 |
| Hourly rate | $39.75 | $44.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,037 | 51,065 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An electrical controls engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and optimal performance of the organization's electrical tools and equipment, usually in manufacturing and warehouse settings. Electrical controls engineers use their excellent analytical and statistical skills to analyze operational processes and suggest production improvement techniques maximize productivity and reduce service delays. They conduct preventive maintenance on the equipment and machinery, including network and system configuration, to increase efficiency and accuracy. An electrical controls engineer maintains operational reports, including equipment and machinery instructional manuals for reference.
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
Electrical controls engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,681 | $92,464 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $108,000 | Between $70,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Tallgrass Energy | Marathon Petroleum |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Energy |
There are a few differences between an electrical controls engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical controls engineers' and instrumentation & control engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |