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Project inspector vs project engineer

The differences between project inspectors and project 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 project inspector and a project engineer. Additionally, a project engineer has an average salary of $75,050, which is higher than the $68,048 average annual salary of a project inspector.

The top three skills for a project inspector include construction projects, asphalt and traffic control. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.

Project inspector vs project engineer overview

Project InspectorProject Engineer
Yearly salary$68,048$75,050
Hourly rate$32.72$36.08
Growth rate-4%2%
Number of jobs58,403176,689
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age5041
Years of experience66

Project inspector vs project engineer salary

Project inspectors and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project InspectorProject Engineer
Average salary$68,048$75,050
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $119,000Between $55,000 And $100,000
Highest paying CityOlympia, WARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyColonial PipelineApple
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between project inspector and project engineer education

There are a few differences between a project inspector and a project engineer in terms of educational background:

Project InspectorProject Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeSan Diego State UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Project inspector vs project engineer demographics

Here are the differences between project inspectors' and project engineers' demographics:

Project InspectorProject Engineer
Average age5041
Gender ratioMale, 90.2% Female, 9.8%Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between project inspector and project engineer duties and responsibilities

Project inspector example responsibilities.

  • Manage third party contractors including safety oversight, environmental design specification compliance, and similar construction specifications and requirements.
  • Work with OSHA as immediate response of safety issues at nuclear power plants.
  • Coordinate with designers drawing clarification's and RFI's to ensure contractor work progress.
  • Verify NCDOT bridge design plans to ensure span lengths, materials, and directions match with WIGINSinformation.
  • Assist with payroll functions including collecting time sheets, entering time and attendance information into automated database and disbursing paychecks.
  • Maintain and create engineering blue prints using AutoCAD.
  • Show more

Project engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage TCP/IP LAN environment for the time during implementation.
  • Support and manage the development of a CNC base electron beam drill.
  • Lead a MGPP six sigma project to improve the accuracy of 3D clutch cooling analysis
  • Manage the BHP enterprise wide migration from e-rooms to SharePoint for document management and team collaboration.
  • Manage the installation of a CNC laser cutting system with full responsibility for all aspects of the project.
  • Coordinate and manage activities of the 787-9 IPT's to complete the specific aircraft side of the test cells.
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Project inspector vs project engineer skills

Common project inspector skills
  • Construction Projects, 12%
  • Asphalt, 8%
  • Traffic Control, 8%
  • Inspection Reports, 7%
  • DOT, 7%
  • Construction Management, 7%
Common project engineer skills
  • Project Management, 12%
  • Autocad, 7%
  • Construction Management, 6%
  • CAD, 4%
  • UL, 4%
  • Cost Estimates, 3%

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