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The differences between professional engineers and resident 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 professional engineer and a resident engineer. Additionally, a resident engineer has an average salary of $96,425, which is higher than the $86,348 average annual salary of a professional engineer.
The top three skills for a professional engineer include civil engineering, project management and PE. The most important skills for a resident engineer are infrastructure, PE, and construction projects.
| Professional Engineer | Resident Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,348 | $96,425 |
| Hourly rate | $41.51 | $46.36 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 74,009 | 31,388 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A professional engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and structures through different principles. Although their duties will vary upon their industry of employment, it typically includes performing site assessments and examinations, studying the purpose and goals of the project, developing plans and guidelines, monitoring the progress of operations, and resolving issues and concerns promptly and efficiently. They may work together with architects and senior engineers, liaise with clients or contractors, and perform regular site inspections. Furthermore, a professional engineer must implement safety protocols and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.
Professional engineers and resident engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Engineer | Resident Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,348 | $96,425 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $70,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Bayer | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a professional engineer and a resident engineer in terms of educational background:
| Professional Engineer | Resident Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between professional engineers' and resident engineers' demographics:
| Professional Engineer | Resident Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |