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The differences between product engineers and packaging engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product engineer, becoming a packaging engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $88,452 average annual salary of a packaging engineer.
The top three skills for a product engineer include CAD, product design and project management. The most important skills for a packaging engineer are CAD, project management, and solidworks.
| Product Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,645 | $88,452 |
| Hourly rate | $43.10 | $42.52 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,888 | 54,028 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
Product engineers and packaging engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,645 | $88,452 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $118,000 | Between $65,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product engineer and a packaging engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Engineering And Industrial Management |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product engineers' and packaging engineers' demographics:
| Product Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 13.1% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |