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The differences between staff engineers and research 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 research engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $96,945 average annual salary of a research engineer.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a research engineer are python, java, and software development.
| Staff Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $96,945 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $46.61 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 136,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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.
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Staff engineers and research engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $96,945 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $67,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a staff engineer and a research engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between staff engineers' and research engineers' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |