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The differences between plastics engineers and manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plastics engineer has an average salary of $80,304, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a plastics engineer include sigma, project management and extrusion. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Plastics Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,304 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $38.61 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 47,267 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Plastics engineers must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and they will receive training opportunities that involve workshops and seminars to keep job skills current. This career requires skills in Sigma, project management, CAD, product quality, and product design. Those who choose this career path engage in manufacturing, fabrication, and end use testing of existing materials and the development of new processes, materials, and equipment.
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.
Plastics engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plastics Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,304 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $106,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Pfizer | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a plastics engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plastics Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Plastics Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between plastics engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Plastics Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.3% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 5% |