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The differences between seismic engineers and structures engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a seismic engineer, becoming a structures engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a seismic engineer has an average salary of $88,120, which is higher than the $73,391 average annual salary of a structures engineer.
The top three skills for a seismic engineer include technical support, stress analysis and retrofit. The most important skills for a structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Seismic Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,120 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $42.37 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 8,242 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Seismic engineers and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Seismic Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,120 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $126,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Halliburton | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a seismic engineer and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Seismic Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between seismic engineers' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Seismic Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 26.7% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |