Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between mechanical development engineers and mechanical design engineers 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 development engineer and a mechanical design engineer. Additionally, a mechanical development engineer has an average salary of $91,933, which is higher than the $75,821 average annual salary of a mechanical design engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical development engineer include CAD, solidworks and FEA. The most important skills for a mechanical design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,933 | $75,821 |
| Hourly rate | $44.20 | $36.45 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 147,373 | 120,258 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A mechanical development engineer plans and designs tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. They perform duties such as overseeing the installation, operation, maintenance and repair of equipment and systems. They also produce specifications for new or modified systems. They supervise design engineering for a variety of facilities, and they coordinate the construction, assembly, and testing of equipment and systems.
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 development engineers and mechanical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,933 | $75,821 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $121,000 | Between $59,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mechanical development engineer and a mechanical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between mechanical development engineers' and mechanical design engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |