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The differences between research engineers and data scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research engineer, becoming a data scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a data scientist has an average salary of $106,104, which is higher than the $96,945 average annual salary of a research engineer.
The top three skills for a research engineer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a data scientist are python, data science, and visualization.
| Research Engineer | Data Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $96,945 | $106,104 |
| Hourly rate | $46.61 | $51.01 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 136,763 | 106,973 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
A Data Scientist analyzes information from multiple sources in order to gain maximum insight that can give the company a competitive advantage. They work in different domains, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, and finance.
Research engineers and data scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Engineer | Data Scientist | |
| Average salary | $96,945 | $106,104 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $138,000 | Between $75,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a research engineer and a data scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Engineer | Data Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Columbia University in the City of New York |
Here are the differences between research engineers' and data scientists' demographics:
| Research Engineer | Data Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 18.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |