Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between electrical research engineers and research engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an electrical research engineer, becoming a research engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $85,767 average annual salary of an electrical research engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for a research engineer are python, java, and software development.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $96,945 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $46.61 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 136,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Electrical research engineers and research engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $96,945 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $67,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an electrical research engineer and a research engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between electrical research engineers' and research engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |