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The differences between electrical project engineers and instrumentation 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 project engineer and an instrumentation engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $84,342 average annual salary of an electrical project engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical project engineer include project management, autocad and PLC. The most important skills for an instrumentation engineer are PLC, autocad, and analyzers.
| Electrical Project Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,342 | $88,783 |
| Hourly rate | $40.55 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 67,802 | 45,735 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Electrical Project Engineers have licensed engineers involved in a project which specifically works on electrical or electricity-related concerns. They design the electrical systems that are needed for the success of the project. They draw up these systems using software and identify the materials needed to create these. They would then develop these systems by creating them using the materials and test if their design is working. Once they validate the design works and address the project's needs, electrical project engineers would work on controlling, maintaining, and repairing these systems as needed.
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Electrical project engineers and instrumentation engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Project Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,342 | $88,783 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $109,000 | Between $65,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Government |
There are a few differences between an electrical project engineer and an instrumentation engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Project Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical project engineers' and instrumentation engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Project Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |