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The differences between lead network engineers and network engineers 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 engineer. Additionally, a lead network engineer has an average salary of $110,170, which is higher than the $83,557 average annual salary of a network engineer.
The top three skills for a lead network engineer include firewall, switches and lan wan. The most important skills for a network engineer are switches, troubleshoot, and network infrastructure.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,170 | $83,557 |
| Hourly rate | $52.97 | $40.17 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 58,355 | 72,346 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 engineer is responsible for managing a network system, monitoring its performance, and upgrading its features to optimize performance and boost efficiency. Network engineers also create new systems, designing them based on clients' specifications and business needs. They also check network defects, perform troubleshooting, improve data security systems, and install security updates. A network engineer must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a broad understanding of system codes, programming languages, and network configurations.
Lead network engineers and network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,170 | $83,557 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $142,000 | Between $62,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead network engineer and a network engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between lead network engineers' and network engineers' demographics:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |