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The differences between stress engineers and senior structural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a stress engineer and a senior structural designer. Additionally, a stress engineer has an average salary of $107,036, which is higher than the $96,422 average annual salary of a senior structural designer.
The top three skills for a stress engineer include finite element analysis, structural analysis and autocad. The most important skills for a senior structural designer are autocad, revit, and structural design.
| Stress Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,036 | $96,422 |
| Hourly rate | $51.46 | $46.36 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 36,117 | 47,653 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 senior structural designer designs structures such as bridges, dams, parks, or telecommunication structures. They create designs, document them, and analyze structural functionality. Frequently, they must attend meetings and seminars to distribute designs to junior structural designers. They also perform peer reviews and write reports.
Stress engineers and senior structural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Stress Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Average salary | $107,036 | $96,422 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $156,000 | Between $67,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | The Woodlands, TX |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | CTS | Shell |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a stress engineer and a senior structural designer in terms of educational background:
| Stress Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between stress engineers' and senior structural designers' demographics:
| Stress Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| 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, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |