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The differences between structural designers and senior structural 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 senior structural engineer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, 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 senior structural engineer are structural analysis, rehabilitation, and RISA.
| Structural Designer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,273 | $94,406 |
| Hourly rate | $30.42 | $45.39 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 51,432 | 38,584 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 Senior Structural Engineer is responsible for investigating and analyzing different construction problems. They must determine the causes of defects of buildings' envelopes, roofs, walls, and other parts of construction.
Structural designers and senior structural engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structural Designer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Average salary | $63,273 | $94,406 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $84,000 | Between $70,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tesla | Rivian |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a structural designer and a senior structural engineer in terms of educational background:
| Structural Designer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 senior structural engineers' demographics:
| Structural Designer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% |
| 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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |