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The differences between lead application 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 lead application engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a lead application engineer has an average salary of $111,059, which is higher than the $107,530 average annual salary of a staff engineer.
The top three skills for a lead application engineer include java, C++ and infrastructure. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Lead Application Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,059 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $53.39 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 186,619 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An Application Engineers is responsible for monitoring and ensuring that all the application and software of a client is functioning well. They are the one who develops new engineering software and hardware that leads to innovation and technology. This person has practical communication skills since they need to interact with clients to determine the scope of the project and create a reasonable solution. An Application Engineer possesses skills in a wide range of technical concerns regarding software hardware. Typically, they can be seen different departments like manufacturing, marketing as well as customer services.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Lead application engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Application Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $111,059 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $144,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a lead application engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Application Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead application engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Lead Application Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.5% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |