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The differences between planning engineers and project controls 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 project controls engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a project controls engineer has an average salary of $86,685, 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 project controls engineer are project controls, project management, and construction management.
| Planning Engineer | Project Controls Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,521 | $86,685 |
| Hourly rate | $39.67 | $41.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 56,792 | 38,974 |
| 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 Project Controls Engineer creates project cost reports and progress charts. These professionals interpret the company contract and deal with the existing cost control database and financial risk. Project Controls Engineers reconcile and organize the project cost information with the clients' status reports. Also, they evaluate cash flow reports and project cost reports prepared by CMA.
Planning engineers and project controls engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Engineer | Project Controls Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,521 | $86,685 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $110,000 | Between $63,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a planning engineer and a project controls engineer in terms of educational background:
| Planning Engineer | Project Controls Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between planning engineers' and project controls engineers' demographics:
| Planning Engineer | Project Controls Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% |
| 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% |