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The differences between plastics engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Plastics Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,304 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $38.61 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 47,267 | 157,888 |
| 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 engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Plastics engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plastics Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,304 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $106,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | San Francisco, 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 engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plastics Engineer | Product 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 engineers' demographics:
| Plastics Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |