Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead engineers and project 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 engineer and a project engineer. Additionally, a lead engineer has an average salary of $84,927, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a lead engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Lead Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,927 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $40.83 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 301,777 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Lead engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,927 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $120,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Energy |
There are a few differences between a lead engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Lead Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |