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The differences between electrical research engineers and electrical design 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 research engineer and an electrical design engineer. Additionally, an electrical research engineer has an average salary of $85,767, which is higher than the $83,944 average annual salary of an electrical design engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for an electrical design engineer are electrical design, revit, and electrical systems.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $83,944 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $40.36 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 87,121 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The electrical research engineers are responsible for conducting research, designing and developing new and innovative electrical products or systems, and evaluate them to improve existing technical processes. They have strong analytical and critical thinking skills and professional competency to perform intensive research and collaborate on standards for procedures, and design testing methods to identify problems and solutions. Being an electrical research engineer is essential to a company since the job involves innovation and development processes.
An electrical design engineer develops electrical systems for different applications. Electrical design engineers create system layouts and specifications. They test the systems and make some adjustments whenever necessary. The solutions they create range from component designs to large systems. The set of skills imperative for this job include good technical abilities, teamwork, motivation for extra work hours, ability to execute job under pressure, and enthusiasm. They should also be savvy in technology and innovation.
Electrical research engineers and electrical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $83,944 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $63,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electrical research engineer and an electrical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical research engineers' and electrical design engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 21.4% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |