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The differences between senior structural engineers and civil designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior structural engineer and a civil designer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $58,421 average annual salary of a civil designer.
The top three skills for a senior structural engineer include structural analysis, rehabilitation and RISA. The most important skills for a civil designer are civil 3d, autocad, and civil engineering.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,406 | $58,421 |
| Hourly rate | $45.39 | $28.09 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 38,584 | 57,036 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Senior Structural Engineer is responsible for investigating and analyzing different construction problems. They must determine the causes of defects of buildings' envelopes, roofs, walls, and other parts of construction.
A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.
Senior structural engineers and civil designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Average salary | $94,406 | $58,421 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $125,000 | Between $41,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Walnut Creek, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Construction |
There are a few differences between a senior structural engineer and a civil designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior structural engineers' and civil designers' demographics:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Civil Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |