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The differences between water engineers and wastewater treatment engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a water engineer and a wastewater treatment engineer. Additionally, a water engineer has an average salary of $98,752, which is higher than the $75,324 average annual salary of a wastewater treatment engineer.
The top three skills for a water engineer include infrastructure, cost estimates and GIS. The most important skills for a wastewater treatment engineer are process design, design drawings, and water treatment plant.
| Water Engineer | Wastewater Treatment Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,752 | $75,324 |
| Hourly rate | $47.48 | $36.21 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 8,851 | 4,305 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Water engineers and wastewater treatment engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Water Engineer | Wastewater Treatment Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,752 | $75,324 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $140,000 | Between $41,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Chevron | - |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a water engineer and a wastewater treatment engineer in terms of educational background:
| Water Engineer | Wastewater Treatment Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between water engineers' and wastewater treatment engineers' demographics:
| Water Engineer | Wastewater Treatment Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 13.1% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |