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The differences between staff engineers and tool 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 tool engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $101,135 average annual salary of a tool engineer.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a tool engineer are python, java, and CAD.
| Staff Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $101,135 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $48.62 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 98,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 tooling engineer is responsible for creating and adjusting tools or parts for cars, heavy equipment, and other products that need customized or personalized components. Your duties and responsibilities will include creating design blueprints, using computer-aided (CAD) software to develop two- and three-dimensional prints, and validating and evaluating products. As a tooling engineer, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with operational standards such as the ISO 9000. You also have to provide technical assistance to manufacturing personnel and quality assurance.
Staff engineers and tool engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $101,135 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $75,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff engineer and a tool engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 tool engineers' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 95.3% Female, 4.7% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |