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The differences between lead network engineers and network administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lead network engineer and a network administrator. Additionally, a lead network engineer has an average salary of $110,170, which is higher than the $71,357 average annual salary of a network administrator.
The top three skills for a lead network engineer include firewall, switches and lan wan. The most important skills for a network administrator are switches, windows server, and troubleshoot.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $110,170 | $71,357 |
| Hourly rate | $52.97 | $34.31 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 58,355 | 106,886 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Lead Network Engineer ensures network performance through supervising the building of net configurations and connections. They are responsible for securing network systems.
A network administrator is responsible for managing an organization's computer systems, ensuring its smooth operations and highest efficiency. Network administrators' duties include inspecting network malfunctions, troubleshooting unresponsive programs, improving system processes, analyzing client's specifications, upgrading existing applications, coordinating with the technology department, and creating a report of network issues resolutions. A network administrator should display a strong command of programming languages. Extensive knowledge in the technology industry and analytical and problem-solving skills to manage network problems immediately is also necessary.
Lead network engineers and network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Administrator | |
| Average salary | $110,170 | $71,357 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $142,000 | Between $56,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a lead network engineer and a network administrator in terms of educational background:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead network engineers' and network administrators' demographics:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 11.3% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |