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The differences between process development 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 development engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a process development engineer has an average salary of $89,754, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a process development engineer include data analysis, DOE and R. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Process Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,754 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $43.15 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 118,616 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Process Development Engineer creates and implements process technology for product manufacturing to optimize workflow, improve operating capabilities, and help ensure workers' safety. They help enhance the speed and quality of processing from a variety of industries, such as mining or manufacturing.
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 development engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,754 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $114,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a process development engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | 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 development engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Process Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.3% White, 65.9% 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% |