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The differences between process design engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process design engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a process design engineer has an average salary of $89,834, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a process design engineer include project management, process engineering and CAD. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Process Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,834 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $43.19 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 93,788 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Process Design Engineer designs various products, including required calculation, component selection, and determining the methods of construction. They are responsible for the safety management of the projects.
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.
Process design engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,834 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $116,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a process design engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between process design engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Process Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 5% |