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The differences between lead engineers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a lead engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Lead Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $84,927 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $40.83 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 301,777 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Lead engineers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $84,927 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $120,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead engineer and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead engineers' and project managers' demographics:
| Lead Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 10% |