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The differences between planning engineers and process engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a planning engineer and a process engineer. Additionally, a planning engineer has an average salary of $82,521, which is higher than the $82,443 average annual salary of a process engineer.
The top three skills for a planning engineer include project management, infrastructure and transmission planning. The most important skills for a process engineer are continuous improvement, sigma, and lean manufacturing.
| Planning Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,521 | $82,443 |
| Hourly rate | $39.67 | $39.64 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 56,792 | 66,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
Planning engineers and process engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,521 | $82,443 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $110,000 | Between $62,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rio Rancho, NM |
| Highest paying state | California | New Mexico |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a planning engineer and a process engineer in terms of educational background:
| Planning Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between planning engineers' and process engineers' demographics:
| Planning Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |