Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between mechanical designers and structural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a mechanical designer and a structural designer. Additionally, a structural designer has an average salary of $63,273, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a mechanical designer include mechanical design, revit and auto cad. The most important skills for a structural designer are revit, structural design, and BIM.
| Mechanical Designer | Structural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $62,541 | $63,273 |
| Hourly rate | $30.07 | $30.42 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 65,748 | 51,432 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.
Mechanical designers and structural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Designer | Structural Designer | |
| Average salary | $62,541 | $63,273 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $83,000 | Between $47,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Tesla |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Construction |
There are a few differences between a mechanical designer and a structural designer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Designer | Structural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between mechanical designers' and structural designers' demographics:
| Mechanical Designer | Structural Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |