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The differences between principal mechanical engineers 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 principal mechanical engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a principal mechanical engineer has an average salary of $102,451, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a principal mechanical engineer include mechanical engineering, CAD and mechanical design. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Principal Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,451 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $49.26 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 127,517 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A principal mechanical engineer is responsible for managing and maintaining the company's machinery, designing equipment that would support the business functions and operations efficiently, and inspecting tools for production processes. Principal mechanical engineers assist the work of junior engineers in manufacturing operations and resolving issues and tickets. They also conduct quality check procedures for the outputs, identify areas of improvement, and identify opportunities that would help the business grow more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
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.
Principal mechanical engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,451 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $133,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal mechanical engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between principal mechanical engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Principal Mechanical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.7% White, 68.2% 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% |