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The differences between plumbing designers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a plumbing designer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $61,468 average annual salary of a plumbing designer.
The top three skills for a plumbing designer include revit, plumbing and fire protection. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Plumbing Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $61,468 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $29.55 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 44,975 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Plumbing Designers are responsible for developing plumbing and drainage systems for residential or commercial areas. Their duties include providing design specifications to clients, producing schematics, achieving key performance metrics, and conducting quality assurance assessments. They contribute technical content for marketing purposes, sourcing equipment, and guiding internal departments on installation procedures. Plumbing Designers also prepare client proposals, supervise junior staff, and provide staff training sessions.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Plumbing designers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plumbing Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $61,468 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $85,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Belcan | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a plumbing designer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Plumbing Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between plumbing designers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Plumbing Designer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |