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The differences between mechanical design engineers and mechanical design drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mechanical design engineer, becoming a mechanical design drafter takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mechanical design engineer has an average salary of $75,821, which is higher than the $58,371 average annual salary of a mechanical design drafter.
The top three skills for a mechanical design engineer include CAD, mechanical design and GD. The most important skills for a mechanical design drafter are design layouts, creo, and assembly drawings.
| Mechanical Design Engineer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $75,821 | $58,371 |
| Hourly rate | $36.45 | $28.06 |
| Growth rate | 2% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,258 | 54,189 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A mechanical design engineer specializes in designing various mechanical devices that will be vital in developing machinery or large structures. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around conducting thorough research and analysis, establishing layouts and prototypes, producing progress reports, and working alongside fellow engineers and skilled professionals. Typically assigned in an office setting, a mechanical design engineer must visit construction sites or factories to test and observe equipment qualities. Furthermore, during production, there are instances when a mechanical engineer must coordinate with suppliers, contractors, and clients.
Mechanical design drafter develops detailed mechanical equipment designs and specifications needed for assembly and modifies them to repair defects and to minimize problems in the production. He/she often works with architects and engineers either in an office or via job sites with hands-on experience in computer-aided design (CAD) software and building processes, visual aptitude, and mathematical skills. However, the demand for drafters tempered as CAD and building information modeling (BIM) technologies allows architects and engineers to perform tasks that are usually done by a mechanical design drafter.
Mechanical design engineers and mechanical design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Design Engineer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average salary | $75,821 | $58,371 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $96,000 | Between $45,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Salt River Project |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mechanical design engineer and a mechanical design drafter in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Design Engineer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between mechanical design engineers' and mechanical design drafters' demographics:
| Mechanical Design Engineer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |