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The differences between optical design engineers and optical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optical engineer has an average salary of $99,814, which is higher than the $94,750 average annual salary of an optical design engineer.
The top three skills for an optical design engineer include optical design, MATLAB and zemax. The most important skills for an optical engineer are zemax, data analysis, and optical components.
| Optical Design Engineer | Optical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,750 | $99,814 |
| Hourly rate | $45.55 | $47.99 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 49,731 | 26,628 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
An optical design engineer is an optics specialists who uses their scientific skills to design solutions and solve optical problems. Optical design engineers are essential in the field of laser technology, telescopes, optical lenses, and fiber optics. You will be responsible for designing and building devices that enable better utilization of optics technology and requires in-depth scientific optical knowledge as well as high technical design abilities. Optical design engineers are problem solvers in the field of optics.
An Optical Engineer designs optical devices to be used in eyewear, telescopes, cameras, and lasers. They ensure that optical and electronic components meet all given specifications.
Optical design engineers and optical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Optical Design Engineer | Optical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,750 | $99,814 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $125,000 | Between $70,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an optical design engineer and an optical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Optical Design Engineer | Optical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Physics |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between optical design engineers' and optical engineers' demographics:
| Optical Design Engineer | Optical Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 17.2% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |