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The differences between plastics engineers and product design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a product design engineer has an average salary of $94,827, which is higher than the $80,304 average annual salary of a plastics engineer.
The top three skills for a plastics engineer include sigma, project management and extrusion. The most important skills for a product design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Plastics Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,304 | $94,827 |
| Hourly rate | $38.61 | $45.59 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 47,267 | 170,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
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.
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
Plastics engineers and product design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plastics Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,304 | $94,827 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $106,000 | Between $69,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | San Mateo, 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 product design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plastics Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Plastics Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between plastics engineers' and product design engineers' demographics:
| Plastics Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |