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The differences between mechanical development engineers and product development 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 product development engineer. Additionally, a mechanical development engineer has an average salary of $91,933, which is higher than the $86,075 average annual salary of a product development engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical development engineer include CAD, solidworks and FEA. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,933 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $44.20 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 147,373 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Mechanical development engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,933 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $121,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mechanical development engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 product development engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |