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The differences between senior electrical engineers and design 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 senior electrical engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior electrical engineer has an average salary of $109,315, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior electrical engineer include control systems, electrical equipment and electrical systems. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Senior Electrical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $109,315 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $52.56 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 82,639 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A senior electrical engineer is an individual who leads other engineers to review electrical design plans and analyze existing electrical systems. Senior electrical engineers must establish relationships with clients, vendors, and suppliers to ensure that projects are completed according to specifications. They create project budgets and produce working schedules and company regulations to make sure that a safe and positive working environment is achieved. Senior electrical engineers must be passionate about engineering development by attending electrical conferences and events.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Senior electrical engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Electrical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $109,315 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $144,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior electrical engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Electrical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior electrical engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Electrical Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |