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The differences between staff engineers and software engineers 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 a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Staff Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| 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.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Staff engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Bruno, 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 software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between staff engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |