Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between laboratory engineers and design 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 laboratory engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a laboratory engineer has an average salary of $92,242, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a laboratory engineer include C++, lab environment and UL. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Laboratory Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,242 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $44.35 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 121,212 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A laboratory engineer specializes in designing and developing tools and machinery for laboratory operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include installing and maintaining equipment, performing extensive research and analysis, coordinating with other experts, and identifying areas needing improvement, implementing solutions as required. They must also conduct regular maintenance checks on systems, performing corrective measures promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a laboratory engineer, it is essential to provide technical support while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Laboratory engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,242 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $135,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a laboratory engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between laboratory engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Laboratory Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |