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The differences between stress engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a stress engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a stress engineer has an average salary of $107,036, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a stress engineer include finite element analysis, structural analysis and autocad. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Stress Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,036 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $51.46 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 36,117 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A stress engineer specializes in conducting analysis and assessments on structures and components, mainly using stress to test its structural integrity. They may work in various industries such as automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and even medical. Although their duties may vary upon the industry, they are typically in charge of performing extensive research and analysis, coordinating with architects and engineers, designing and building prototypes, and maintaining records of all procedures. Furthermore, a stress engineer must produce detailed progress and findings reports in adherence to project deadlines and company policies.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Stress engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Stress Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,036 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $156,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | CTS | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a stress engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Stress Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between stress engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Stress Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 19.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |