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The differences between project designers and architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a project designer and an architect. Additionally, an architect has an average salary of $86,635, which is higher than the $64,943 average annual salary of a project designer.
The top three skills for a project designer include revit, sketch and design concepts. The most important skills for an architect are cloud, java, and infrastructure.
| Project Designer | Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $64,943 | $86,635 |
| Hourly rate | $31.22 | $41.65 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 60,364 | 94,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Project Designer provides assistance in project design and development activities based on customer requirements. They develop solutions to client architectural complexities.
Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".
Project designers and architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Designer | Architect | |
| Average salary | $64,943 | $86,635 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $54,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project designer and an architect in terms of educational background:
| Project Designer | Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Architecture |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between project designers' and architects' demographics:
| Project Designer | Architect | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 16.0% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 23% | 15% |