2024 Designers' Salary Survey Question Title * 1. Which best describes your job title? PCB design engineer Senior PCB design engineer PCB designer Senior PCB designer Electrical engineer Senior electrical engineer PCB design manager Hardware engineer Senior hardware engineer Principal engineer Electronics technician Technical director Process engineer CAD librarian Other Question Title * 2. What is your principal job function? PCB design (including schematic, layout, placement, etc.) PCB engineering (signal integrity, hardware engineer, software engineer, etc.) Systems design Design/layout management Engineering management Design support (drafting) Applications engineer Engineering consulting ECAD librarian General/corporate management Other Question Title * 3. How many years of experience do you have in printed circuit design/engineering? 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 21 to 25 26 to 30 Over 30 Question Title * 4. Where are you located? US – Northeast/New England/Mid Atlantic (ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, DE, PA, MD, DC, VA, WV) US – Southeast (NC, SC, GA, FL, MI, AL, TN) US – Midwest (OH, MI, IL, WI, MN, IA, IN, MO, KY) US – South (TX, AK, LA) US – Plains States (NE, KS, SD, ND OK) US – Rockies Region (CO, MO, NM, WY, UT) US – Southwest/California (NV, AZ, CA) US – Northwest (OR, WA, ID) Non-Continental US (HI, AK) Caribbean/Central America Canada Mexico Central/Western Europe Eastern Europe Japan Africa/Middle East India Southeastern China East-Central China Northern China Western China Southeast Asia (but not China) South America Other Question Title * 5. How many people report directly to you? None 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 20 Over 20 Question Title * 6. What is your current age? Less than 21 21 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45 46 to 50 51 to 55 56 to 60 61 to 70 Over 70 Question Title * 7. What is your gender? Male Female Non-binary I choose not to answer Question Title * 8. What is your current annual salary (in US$)? <$10,000 $10,001 to $15,000 $15,001 to $20,000 $20,001 to $25,000 $25,001 to $30,000 $30,001 to $40,000 $40,001 to $50,000 $50,001 to $60,000 $60,001 to $70,000 $70,001 to $80,000 $80,001 to $90,000 $90,001 to $100,000 $100,001 to $110,000 $110,001 to $120,000 $120,001 to $130,000 $130,001 to $140,000 $140,001 to $150,000 >$150,000 Question Title * 9. Do you receive an annual bonus? Yes No Question Title * 10. If so, what percentage of your current salary is your average annual bonus? 1 to 3% 4 to 7% >7% Question Title * 11. How has your salary changed in the past year? Rose 1 to 3% Rose 4 to 6% Rose 7 to 10% Rose more than 10% Fell 1 to 3% Fell 4 to 6% Fell 7 to 10% Fell more than 10% Has not changed Question Title * 12. What is your highest level of education? High school Some college – no degree 1- to 2-year associate’s degree BA/BS degree in non-engineering field BS degree in engineering or related field Master’s (any field) Ph.D. (any field) Question Title * 13. What type of company do you work for? OEM Design service bureau Both OEM & service bureau PCB fabricator EMS/contract assembler Consultant/academia/instructor/other Other Question Title * 14. What percentage of your time each week is spent on board design (including schematic, layout, placement, etc.)? 100% 76-99% 51-75% 26-50% 11-25% 1-10% Question Title * 15. What types of projects and/or technologies do you directly engineer, design or lay out? (Check all that apply.) Single-sided PCBs Double-sided PCBs 4 to 6 layers 7 to 10 layers 12 plus layer PCBs Flex or rigid-flex PCBs FPGAs/PLDs Microvias/HDI RF/microwave circuitry High-speed design BGAs ASICs/ICs Embedded systems Chip-scale packages Chiplets/heterogenous packages/MCMs Package-on-Package (PoP) Processor and memory (DDR) SoCs SiPs Optoelectronics Enclosures Other (please specify) Question Title * 16. On average, how many new designs (new part numbers) do you produce each year? 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 50 51 or more Question Title * 17. On average, how many board revisions (respins) do you produce each year? 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 50 51 or more Question Title * 18. Has the number of respins you produced risen in the past 12 to 18 months? Yes No Question Title * 19. Are you at or above the top of your company's salary range for your job/position? Yes No Question Title * 20. If you have a degree from a four-year college, what subject is it in? Electrical engineering Mechanical engineering General/chemical/industrial/other engineering Physics Mathematics Business Liberal Arts Other Question Title * 21. Are you a Certified Designer? Yes No Question Title * 22. If you answered yes to the previous question, you are IPC CID IPC CID+ Certified Printed Circuit Designer (CPCD) Question Title * 23. Do you have the same job as you did in 2022? Yes No Question Title * 24. Were you laid off in the past year? Yes No Question Title * 25. What do you think will be the biggest challenge(s) you will face as a designer in 2024? (Check all that apply.) Finding/Keeping job Outsourcing Keeping up with technology changes Workload Getting funding to continue professional development Other (please specify) Question Title * 26. For which end-market do you primarily design? Automotive/other ground vehicles Communications/related systems equipment (includes all phone types) Computers/peripherals Consumer electronics (includes wearables and white goods) Industrial controls/equipment/robotics Electronic instruments/ATE design and test Government/military/aerospace/avionics/marine/space Medical/optical electronics and equipment Semiconductors and related packaging or test equipment Other (please specify) Question Title * 27. How many total employees does your company have worldwide? More than 1000 251 – 1000 101 – 250 51 – 100 26 – 50 10 – 25 9 or fewer Question Title * 28. What are the approximate total annual sales of your company? $5 billion or more $1 billion to $4.9 billion $500 million to $999.9 million $100 million to $499.9 million $50 million to $99.9 million $5 million to $49.9 million Less than $5 million Unsure Question Title * 29. What educational opportunities are supported by your company? (Check all that apply.) Tuition reimbursement Classes at conferences On-the-job training Industry certification Company-sponsored classes College classes Mentoring N/A Question Title * 30. Has your conference or class attendance had a positive impact on your salary? Yes No Not applicable Question Title * 31. What benefits are offered by your company? (Check all that apply.) Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) plan Company pension or retirement plan Life insurance Stock purchasing plan Profit sharing Telecommuting Sabbatical Daycare facilities N/A Question Title * 32. How have your benefits changed in the past year? More benefits offered, or the same benefits but at a lower cost Fewer benefits offered, or the same benefits but at a higher cost No change Question Title * 33. Which product/service purchases do you evaluate, recommend, specify or approve? (Check all that apply.) E-CAD software (including layout/routing, library management, modeling, simulation, analysis and documentation) CAM software CAE software MCAD software Prototype PCB services Volume PCB fabrication services Design services Connectors and cables Active/passive components FPGAs/PLDs Assembly services Solder mask Substrate materials Computers and peripherals Solder materials (paste, flux) Epoxies and finishes Consulting services Test/measurement services None of the above Question Title * 34. What is your highest level of purchase power? Recommend products Specify products Evaluate products Approve product purchases None of the above Question Title * 35. Which E-CAD tools do you use on at least a weekly basis? Altium Designer Autodesk Eagle Cadence Allegro Cadence OrCAD KiCAD Siemens Board Station Siemens Pads Siemens Xpedition Zuken CADStar Zuken CR-3000 Zuken CR-5000 Zuken CR-8000 Other Question Title * 36. Which E-CAD tools do you use at least once a year? Altium Designer Autodesk Eagle Cadence Allegro Cadence OrCAD KiCAD Siemens Board Station Siemens Pads Siemens Xpedition Zuken CADStar Zuken CR-3000 Zuken CR-5000 Zuken CR-8000 Other Question Title * 37. On a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being the lowest and 7 the highest, what is your current satisfaction with your job? 1 (completely dissatisfied) 2 3 4 5 6 7 (highly satisfied) Question Title * 38. How many more years do you plan to work in your position? 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 21 to 25 26 to 30 31 or more Question Title * 39. Would you find value in an online networking forum dedicated to printed circuit board design and engineering? Yes No Question Title * 40. If you answered YES to Question 39, which forum type would you prefer? Discord FluxBB Google Chat LinkedIn LISTSERV 10 Thousand Coffees (10KC) Other Done
