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The differences between planning engineers and cost engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a planning engineer, becoming a cost engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cost engineer has an average salary of $87,901, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a planning engineer include project management, infrastructure and transmission planning. The most important skills for a cost engineer are project management, cost analysis, and construction management.
| Planning Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,521 | $87,901 |
| Hourly rate | $39.67 | $42.26 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 56,792 | 65,278 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A planning engineer is in charge of developing plans and systems to organize and schedule project procedures, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities revolve around learning and understanding the extent of all operations, setting schedules and objectives, liaising with external parties such as vendors or distributors, and maintaining an active communication line with other departments. Furthermore, a planning engineer must monitor the progress of the workflow and the performance of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A cost engineer is responsible for projecting cost and expenses reports for the production process, identify and mitigate risks, and develop strategic techniques to reduce the excessive financial loss for project buildings. Cost engineers conduct data and statistical analysis to measure time deliverables and quality checks to ensure profitability and adherence to business objectives. They research and negotiate materials from trusted suppliers and vendors with high-quality products that would meet construction designs and client specifications.
Planning engineers and cost engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,521 | $87,901 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $110,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Meta | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a planning engineer and a cost engineer in terms of educational background:
| Planning Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between planning engineers' and cost engineers' demographics:
| Planning Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |