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The differences between lead piping designers and mechanical designers 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 piping designer and a mechanical designer. Additionally, a lead piping designer has an average salary of $111,648, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a lead piping designer include autocad, equipment layout and p id. The most important skills for a mechanical designer are mechanical design, revit, and auto cad.
| Lead Piping Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,648 | $62,541 |
| Hourly rate | $53.68 | $30.07 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 49,802 | 65,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A lead piping designer is primarily in charge of designing and drafting plans and layouts for developing and constructing pipe systems for water, gas, oil, petroleum, or sewage. Their job entails conducting extensive research and assessments, gathering and analyzing data, utilizing tools and software, coordinating with experts, and creating models for approval. Additionally, as a lead designer, it is essential to coordinate and lead junior designers in a joint effort to complete project goals while adhering to safety standards, policies, and regulations.
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Lead piping designers and mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Piping Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $111,648 | $62,541 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $158,000 | Between $46,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a lead piping designer and a mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Piping Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between lead piping designers' and mechanical designers' demographics:
| Lead Piping Designer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |