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The differences between foundation engineers and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a foundation engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $76,200 average annual salary of a foundation engineer.
The top three skills for a foundation engineer include geotechnical, CSS and deep foundations. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Foundation Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,200 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $36.63 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 8,104 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Foundation engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Foundation Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $76,200 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $117,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a foundation engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Foundation Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between foundation engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Foundation Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 12.1% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |