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The differences between manufacturing associate engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a manufacturing associate engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $74,120 average annual salary of a manufacturing associate engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing associate engineer include process control, CAD and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,120 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $35.63 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 59,464 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
An associate manufacturing engineer is in charge of creating methods and strategies to optimize the design and development of manufacturing procedures, typically working alongside manufacturing engineers. Among their responsibilities include performing research and analysis, establishing guidelines and specifications, monitoring the budgets and processes, conducting maintenance checks, and keeping an active communication line with team members for a smooth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, an associate manufacturing engineer must promote and enforce the company's safety policies and regulations.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Manufacturing associate engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,120 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $90,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mahwah, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Masimo | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing associate engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing associate engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |