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The differences between research engineers and researchers 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 researcher takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a research engineer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| Research Engineer | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $96,945 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $46.61 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 136,763 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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 researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
Research engineers and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Engineer | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $96,945 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $138,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | - |
There are a few differences between a research engineer and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| Research Engineer | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Biology |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between research engineers' and researchers' demographics:
| Research Engineer | Researcher | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |