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The differences between structures engineers 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 structures engineer and a senior structural engineer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $73,391 average annual salary of a structures engineer.
The top three skills for a structures engineer include structural analysis, revit and RISA. The most important skills for a senior structural engineer are structural analysis, rehabilitation, and RISA.
| Structures Engineer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $73,391 | $94,406 |
| Hourly rate | $35.28 | $45.39 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 20,778 | 38,584 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
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.
Structures engineers and senior structural engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structures Engineer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Average salary | $73,391 | $94,406 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $98,000 | Between $70,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Rivian |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a structures engineer and a senior structural engineer in terms of educational background:
| Structures Engineer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between structures engineers' and senior structural engineers' demographics:
| Structures Engineer | Senior Structural Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% 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% |