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The differences between plant engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a plant engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a plant engineer has an average salary of $93,949, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a plant engineer include HVAC, project management and plant operations. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Plant Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,949 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $45.17 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 44,391 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A Plant Engineer is responsible for directing the smooth operation of the plant. They plan and coordinate activities concerned with the design, construction, modification, and maintenance of equipment and machinery in an industrial plant.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Plant engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,949 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $130,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Bunge | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a plant engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plant Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between plant engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Plant Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |