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The differences between manufacturing engineers and manufacturing technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a manufacturing engineer and a manufacturing technician. Additionally, a manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $78,522, which is higher than the $37,853 average annual salary of a manufacturing technician.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer include lean manufacturing, CAD and solidworks. The most important skills for a manufacturing technician are GMP, continuous improvement, and hand tools.
| Manufacturing Engineer | Manufacturing Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $78,522 | $37,853 |
| Hourly rate | $37.75 | $18.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 115,384 | 76,490 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
A manufacturing technician, or often called a manufacturing production technician, is an individual who is responsible for setting and testing manufacturing machinery or equipment. To set up the machines, manufacturing technicians will use electronic, electrical, mechanical, or computer technologies. They are responsible for gathering data from their part in the manufacturing process and reporting it to their production or manufacturing engineers. When handling machines or equipment, manufacturing technicians must strictly follow their health and safety procedures and protocols.
Manufacturing engineers and manufacturing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer | Manufacturing Technician | |
| Average salary | $78,522 | $37,853 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $102,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Framingham, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Qorvo |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer and a manufacturing technician in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer | Manufacturing Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers' and manufacturing technicians' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer | Manufacturing Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |