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The differences between structural designers and resident 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 structural designer and a resident engineer. Additionally, a resident engineer has an average salary of $96,425, which is higher than the $63,273 average annual salary of a structural designer.
The top three skills for a structural designer include revit, structural design and BIM. The most important skills for a resident engineer are infrastructure, PE, and construction projects.
| Structural Designer | Resident Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,273 | $96,425 |
| Hourly rate | $30.42 | $46.36 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 51,432 | 31,388 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.
A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.
Structural designers and resident engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structural Designer | Resident Engineer | |
| Average salary | $63,273 | $96,425 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $84,000 | Between $70,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tesla | |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a structural designer and a resident engineer in terms of educational background:
| Structural Designer | Resident Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between structural designers' and resident engineers' demographics:
| Structural Designer | Resident Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |