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The differences between electrical research engineers and electrical project 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 project engineer. Additionally, an electrical research engineer has an average salary of $85,767, which is higher than the $84,342 average annual salary of an electrical project engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for an electrical project engineer are project management, autocad, and PLC.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $84,342 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $40.55 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 67,802 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| 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.
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.
Electrical research engineers and electrical project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $84,342 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $64,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an electrical research engineer and an electrical project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | 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 research engineers' and electrical project engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| 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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |