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The differences between stress engineers and manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a stress engineer has an average salary of $107,036, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a stress engineer include finite element analysis, structural analysis and autocad. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Stress Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,036 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $51.46 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 36,117 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Stress engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Stress Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,036 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $156,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Palo Alto, 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 manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Stress Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between stress engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Stress Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |