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The differences between plant engineers and plant managers 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 plant manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, which is higher than the $93,949 average annual salary of a plant engineer.
The top three skills for a plant engineer include HVAC, project management and plant operations. The most important skills for a plant manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and safety program.
| Plant Engineer | Plant Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $93,949 | $113,843 |
| Hourly rate | $45.17 | $54.73 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 44,391 | 275,962 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| 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.
In general, plant managers are responsible for the entire operations in a manufacturing plant. Plant managers plan, direct, organize, and run the optimum operations of the plant daily. They create and execute organizational or departmental goals procedures, and policies. They aim to increase the manufacturing production and the capacity and flexibility of its assets while keeping its current quality standards and unnecessary costs. They are expected to have a better understanding of the manufacturing industry like equipment use and mechanical aptitude.
Plant engineers and plant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Engineer | Plant Manager | |
| Average salary | $93,949 | $113,843 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $130,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bunge | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a plant engineer and a plant manager in terms of educational background:
| Plant Engineer | Plant Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between plant engineers' and plant managers' demographics:
| Plant Engineer | Plant Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |