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The differences between plant engineers and manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a plant engineer has an average salary of $93,949, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a plant engineer include HVAC, project management and plant operations. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Plant Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,949 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $45.17 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 44,391 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Plant engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $93,949 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $130,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Palo Alto, 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 manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plant Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between plant engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Plant Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |