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The differences between senior data scientists and data 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 senior data scientist and a data engineer. Additionally, a senior data scientist has an average salary of $124,093, which is higher than the $109,675 average annual salary of a data engineer.
The top three skills for a senior data scientist include python, data science and visualization. The most important skills for a data engineer are python, java, and cloud.
| Senior Data Scientist | Data Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $124,093 | $109,675 |
| Hourly rate | $59.66 | $52.73 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 103,618 | 303,105 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior data scientist is responsible for overseeing the work of the junior data scientist and providing advanced expertise in mathematical and statistical concepts for the analytics and data department. You will perform various tasks, including outlining the work requirements, monitoring the performance of junior data scientists, and assigning tasks to them. Other typical duties include preparing non-technical reports detailing the limitations and successes of projects, providing recommendations on how insights might be utilized to inform business strategy, and keeping up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in data science.
A data engineer is someone who makes data science possible. This IT job requires the search for data set trends and algorithm development to make raw data more beneficial to the enterprise. Data engineers are responsible for establishing and maintaining an environment that permits other data functions. The necessary skills for the job include in-depth knowledge of multiple programming languages and SQL database design. Among the other skills data engineers should develop include data warehousing and architecture, data mining and modeling, and statistical regression analysis.
Senior data scientists and data engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Data Scientist | Data Engineer | |
| Average salary | $124,093 | $109,675 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $170,000 | Between $80,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Brex | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior data scientist and a data engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Data Scientist | Data Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mathematics | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior data scientists' and data engineers' demographics:
| Senior Data Scientist | Data Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% | Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |