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The differences between lead design engineers and development 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 design engineer and a development engineer. Additionally, a lead design engineer has an average salary of $108,490, which is higher than the $93,206 average annual salary of a development engineer.
The top three skills for a lead design engineer include CAD, project management and lead design. The most important skills for a development engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Lead Design Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,490 | $93,206 |
| Hourly rate | $52.16 | $44.81 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 118,073 | 224,881 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
A Development Engineer is responsible for the development and validation of products, systems, and components. They are also responsible for quality control of work and continuous improvement of engineer activities.
Lead design engineers and development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Design Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,490 | $93,206 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $143,000 | Between $70,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Agriculture | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead design engineer and a development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Design Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead design engineers' and development engineers' demographics:
| Lead Design Engineer | Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |