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The differences between product design engineers and lead 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 product design engineer and a lead design engineer. Additionally, a lead design engineer has an average salary of $108,490, which is higher than the $94,827 average annual salary of a product design engineer.
The top three skills for a product design engineer include CAD, mechanical design and GD. The most important skills for a lead design engineer are CAD, project management, and lead design.
| Product Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,827 | $108,490 |
| Hourly rate | $45.59 | $52.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 170,485 | 118,073 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
Product design engineers and lead design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,827 | $108,490 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $129,000 | Between $82,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a product design engineer and a lead design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between product design engineers' and lead design engineers' demographics:
| Product Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |