Biochemist vs biotechnologist

The differences between biochemists and biotechnologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a biochemist, becoming a biotechnologist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a biochemist has an average salary of $72,910, which is higher than the $54,160 average annual salary of a biotechnologist.

The top three skills for a biochemist include chemistry, immunoassay and elisa. The most important skills for a biotechnologist are R, GMP, and DNA.

Biochemist vs biotechnologist overview

	Biochemist	Biotechnologist
Yearly salary	$72,910	$54,160
Hourly rate	$35.05	$26.04
Growth rate	15%	9%
Number of jobs	16,016	10,862
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	6	4

Biochemist vs biotechnologist salary

Biochemists and biotechnologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Biochemist	Biotechnologist
Average salary	$72,910	$54,160
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $110,000	Between $36,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Silver Spring, MD
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	Genentech	AbbVie
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between biochemist and biotechnologist education

There are a few differences between a biochemist and a biotechnologist in terms of educational background:

	Biochemist	Biotechnologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Johns Hopkins University

Biochemist vs biotechnologist demographics

Here are the differences between biochemists' and biotechnologists' demographics:

	Biochemist	Biotechnologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0%	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 17.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 13.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between biochemist and biotechnologist duties and responsibilities

Biochemist example responsibilities.

Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
Design fit-for-purpose assays to track various peptide biomarkers in support of clinical studies.
Determine serotype of putative viral infections in clinical samples utilizing RNA extraction and RT-PCR sequencing techniques.
Provide early involvement and target support for clinical identification of biomarkers involving gene expression profiling, proteomics, and immunohistochemistry.
Compile and process data in LIMs or other validate spreadsheets.
Perform patient sample correlations, interference, ANOVA and stability testing.

Biotechnologist example responsibilities.

Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
Perform standard PCR assays for research group.
Purify enzymes using gravity, low pressure liquid chromatography, and AKTA FPLC.
Participate in semi-annual proficiency testing for forensic casework (CTS) and proficiency testing for engraftment monitoring (ASHI).
Quantify the final product form using solvent extraction and normal phase HPLC.
Maintain documentation and batch records in accordance with ISO and CE-IVD regulations.

Biochemist vs biotechnologist skills

Common biochemist skills

Chemistry, 17%
Immunoassay, 9%
Elisa, 7%
GMP, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Test Results, 5%

Common biotechnologist skills

R, 23%
GMP, 13%
DNA, 13%
PCR, 12%
Assays, 10%
Extraction, 10%

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Biochemist vs Biotechnologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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