Bench chemist vs analytical chemist

The differences between bench chemists and analytical chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an analytical chemist has an average salary of $61,573, which is higher than the $57,401 average annual salary of a bench chemist.

The top three skills for a bench chemist include analytical methods, HPLC and wet chemistry. The most important skills for an analytical chemist are method development, HPLC, and laboratory equipment.

Bench chemist vs analytical chemist overview

	Bench Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,401	$61,573
Hourly rate	$27.60	$29.60
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,038	14,661
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Bench chemist vs analytical chemist salary

Bench chemists and analytical chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bench Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Average salary	$57,401	$61,573
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $84,000	Between $44,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	Milford, MA
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	Micron Technology
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between bench chemist and analytical chemist education

There are a few differences between a bench chemist and an analytical chemist in terms of educational background:

	Bench Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of Southern California

Bench chemist vs analytical chemist demographics

Here are the differences between bench chemists' and analytical chemists' demographics:

	Bench Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 19.2% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between bench chemist and analytical chemist duties and responsibilities

Bench chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Prepare ASTM samples and test physical properties.
Perform USP testing on a wide variety of pharmaceuticals to guarantee product quality.
Analyze intermediates and products through analytical data such as LCMS, NMR, etc.
Maintain detailed notebooks containing results and transmit those results via LIMS to the proper plant personnel.
Perform final release testing on batch samples to establish conformance to company, third party, or FDA specifications.

Analytical chemist example responsibilities.

Perform analysis of organic components on various samples using GC, AA, and wet chemical analysis.
Apply ICP-MS, ICP-OES, and AA to analyses of aqueous and acidic extracts of many geological materials.
Analyze generic pharmaceutical preparations utilizing HPLC and dissolution apparatus to ensure content and uniformity in accordance with FDA and USP monographs.
Develop novel FT-IR, UV/VIS stopped-flow kinetic methods.
Conduct UV/VIS and wet analyses of consumer product samples submit.
Develop ELISA and WB assays for host cell proteins and vaccine components.

Bench chemist vs analytical chemist skills

Common bench chemist skills

Analytical Methods, 12%
HPLC, 10%
Wet Chemistry, 10%
Method Development, 9%
GC, 8%
GMP, 8%

Common analytical chemist skills

Method Development, 9%
HPLC, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
GMP, 4%
GC, 4%
Ms, 4%

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Bench Chemist vs Analytical Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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