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The differences between staff engineers and architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a staff engineer, becoming an architect takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $86,635 average annual salary of an architect.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for an architect are cloud, java, and infrastructure.
| Staff Engineer | Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $86,635 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $41.65 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 94,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".
Staff engineers and architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Architect | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $86,635 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $54,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff engineer and an architect in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Architecture |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between staff engineers' and architects' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Architect | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 16.0% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 15% |