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The differences between staff mechanical engineers and product 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 mechanical engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, a staff mechanical engineer has an average salary of $108,997, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a staff mechanical engineer include CAD, mechanical design and solidworks. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Staff Mechanical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,997 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $52.40 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 158,987 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A staff mechanical engineer designs and develops engines, tools, and machinery. Staff mechanical engineers create products like refrigerators, power tools, car engines, and turbines. They take part in cross-departmental and multi-functional design teams. They write handbooks, bulletins, and reports for use by department or staff. They have to lead project management from making ideas to launching the product. The skills they need to know to include mechanical design, product development, electrical systems, and detail orientation.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Staff mechanical engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Mechanical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,997 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $144,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff mechanical engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Mechanical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between staff mechanical engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Staff Mechanical Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |