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The differences between instrumentation engineers and controls 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 instrumentation engineer, becoming a controls engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $84,532 average annual salary of a controls engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for a controls engineer are C++, troubleshoot, and UL.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Controls Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $84,532 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $40.64 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 50,203 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
A Controls Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and supervising electrical control systems, machinery, and equipment. They oversee projects from initial concept to installation and commissioning.
Instrumentation engineers and controls engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Controls Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $84,532 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $64,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Government | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and a controls engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Controls Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between instrumentation engineers' and controls engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Controls Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |