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The differences between senior structural engineers and principal 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 principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $94,406 average annual salary of a senior structural engineer.
The top three skills for a senior structural engineer include structural analysis, rehabilitation and RISA. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,406 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $45.39 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 38,584 | 312,683 |
| 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 principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
Senior structural engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Structural Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,406 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $125,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior structural engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior structural engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Structural Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| 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, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |