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The differences between lead mechanical designers and design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a lead mechanical designer, becoming a design manager takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a design manager has an average salary of $102,637, which is higher than the $96,084 average annual salary of a lead mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a lead mechanical designer include CAD, mechanical design and autocad. The most important skills for a design manager are sketch, project management, and visualization.
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $96,084 | $102,637 |
| Hourly rate | $46.19 | $49.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 62,573 | 61,273 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Lead mechanical designers and design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $96,084 | $102,637 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $124,000 | Between $69,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead mechanical designer and a design manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between lead mechanical designers' and design managers' demographics:
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Design Manager | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.0% Female, 6.0% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |