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The differences between staff engineers and product development 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 staff engineer and a product development engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $86,075 average annual salary of a product development engineer.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Staff Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Staff engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between staff engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |