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The differences between lead mechanical designers and mechanical 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 mechanical designer and a mechanical engineer. Additionally, a lead mechanical designer has an average salary of $96,084, which is higher than the $75,352 average annual salary of a mechanical engineer.
The top three skills for a lead mechanical designer include CAD, mechanical design and autocad. The most important skills for a mechanical engineer are CAD, solidworks, and mechanical systems.
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,084 | $75,352 |
| Hourly rate | $46.19 | $36.23 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 62,573 | 105,618 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Lead mechanical designers and mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,084 | $75,352 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $124,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a lead mechanical designer and a mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead mechanical designers' and mechanical engineers' demographics:
| Lead Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.0% Female, 6.0% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| 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, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |