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The differences between research engineers and product 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 research engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a research engineer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Research Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,945 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $46.61 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 136,763 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Research engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,945 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $138,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Research Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between research engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Research Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |