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The differences between quality assurance engineers and quality control engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance engineer and a quality control engineer. Additionally, a quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $82,215, which is higher than the $70,845 average annual salary of a quality control engineer.
The top three skills for a quality assurance engineer include java, python and regression. The most important skills for a quality control engineer are product quality, quality standards, and corrective action.
| Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,215 | $70,845 |
| Hourly rate | $39.53 | $34.06 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 243,536 | 109,745 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
A quality control engineer is responsible for conducting quality assessments for the company's products and services to ensure adherence to federal regulations and quality standards. Quality control engineers recommend strategic methods by analyzing processes and writing test results. They also identify opportunities for more services that meet public demands and market trends, helping the business generate more resources for revenues. A quality control engineer utilizes various software tools and applications to document findings, requiring them to have excellent communication and technical skills.
Quality assurance engineers and quality control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,215 | $70,845 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $109,000 | Between $53,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Intuitive Surgical |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance engineer and a quality control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance engineers' and quality control engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 4% |