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The differences between patent examiners and patent agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patent examiner and a patent agent. Additionally, a patent agent has an average salary of $65,466, which is higher than the $64,891 average annual salary of a patent examiner.
The top three skills for a patent examiner include patent applications, mechanical engineering and intellectual property. The most important skills for a patent agent are intellectual property, patent prosecution, and law firm.
| Patent Examiner | Patent Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $64,891 | $65,466 |
| Hourly rate | $31.20 | $31.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 2,363 | 25,562 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Patent examiners and patent agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Patent Examiner | Patent Agent | |
| Average salary | $64,891 | $65,466 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $119,000 | Between $34,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a patent examiner and a patent agent in terms of educational background:
| Patent Examiner | Patent Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between patent examiners' and patent agents' demographics:
| Patent Examiner | Patent Agent | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.6% Female, 19.4% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |