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The differences between senior structural engineers and lead engineers 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 lead engineer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior structural engineer include structural analysis, rehabilitation and RISA. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,406 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $45.39 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 38,584 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Senior structural engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,406 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $125,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior structural engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior structural engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |