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The differences between highway engineers and professional 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 highway engineer and a professional engineer. Additionally, a professional engineer has an average salary of $86,348, which is higher than the $71,538 average annual salary of a highway engineer.
The top three skills for a highway engineer include autocad, highway design and civil 3d. The most important skills for a professional engineer are civil engineering, project management, and PE.
| Highway Engineer | Professional Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,538 | $86,348 |
| Hourly rate | $34.39 | $41.51 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 24,499 | 74,009 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Highway Engineers are responsible for the design and implementation of road network projects. They are involved in road network maintenance, local road schemes designing, supervising construction teams, preparing tender contract documents, and administering risk assessments. Other duties include preparing construction cost estimates and ensuring health and safety directives are adhered to and prepare the project budget. Highway engineers also work with multi-stakeholders such as transport specialists, the public, and the client to deliver within the timeline.
A professional engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and structures through different principles. Although their duties will vary upon their industry of employment, it typically includes performing site assessments and examinations, studying the purpose and goals of the project, developing plans and guidelines, monitoring the progress of operations, and resolving issues and concerns promptly and efficiently. They may work together with architects and senior engineers, liaise with clients or contractors, and perform regular site inspections. Furthermore, a professional engineer must implement safety protocols and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
Highway engineers and professional engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Highway Engineer | Professional Engineer | |
| Average salary | $71,538 | $86,348 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $92,000 | Between $63,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a highway engineer and a professional engineer in terms of educational background:
| Highway Engineer | Professional Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between highway engineers' and professional engineers' demographics:
| Highway Engineer | Professional Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 16.6% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |