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The differences between manufacturing test engineers and product 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 test engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a manufacturing test engineer has an average salary of $98,285, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing test engineer include test equipment, labview and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,285 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $47.25 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,188 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing test engineer specializes in designing and developing test structures to ensure the quality of products according to the company's policies and standards. Their responsibilities include coordinating with the design team to determine test parameters, producing test documentation, troubleshooting, and performing quality assurance procedures. A manufacturing test engineer must also assess the existing test procedures to identify its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions as needed. Furthermore, they may assist the quality assurance teams in conducting tests, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Manufacturing test engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,285 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $134,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing test engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing test engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |