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The differences between machine designers and draftsman/designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a machine designer, becoming a draftsman/designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a machine designer has an average salary of $69,937, which is higher than the $52,529 average annual salary of a draftsman/designer.
The top three skills for a machine designer include solidworks, machine design and autocad. The most important skills for a draftsman/designer are design layouts, solidworks, and shop drawings.
| Machine Designer | Draftsman/Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,937 | $52,529 |
| Hourly rate | $33.62 | $25.25 |
| Growth rate | 2% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,897 | 47,341 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Machine designers and draftsman/designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Machine Designer | Draftsman/Designer | |
| Average salary | $69,937 | $52,529 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $100,000 | Between $30,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Ana, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Energy Inc. | TalentBurst |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a machine designer and a draftsman/designer in terms of educational background:
| Machine Designer | Draftsman/Designer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | 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 machine designers' and draftsman/designers' demographics:
| Machine Designer | Draftsman/Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |