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The differences between chemist assistants and laboratory chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a laboratory chemist has an average salary of $62,702, which is higher than the $51,817 average annual salary of a chemist assistant.
The top three skills for a chemist assistant include laboratory instruments, product quality and chemical analysis. The most important skills for a laboratory chemist are lab equipment, chromatography, and analytical methods.
| Chemist Assistant | Laboratory Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,817 | $62,702 |
| Hourly rate | $24.91 | $30.15 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 6,144 | 41,322 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Chemist assistants maintain laboratory readiness in supporting the production and contingency operations for instrument maintenance and personnel training. The assistants manage daily laboratory operations such as conducting and recording instrument maintenance. They develop minimum product property tolerances and production standards. It is their job to monitor the quality of products to ensure standard compliance. Also, they support capacity expansion projects, product quality projects, and process improvement initiatives.
Laboratory Chemists are licensed scientists who work with chemicals. They are usually found in academic institutions or research facilities. Laboratory Chemists create experiments based on the needs of the institution or company. They mix different chemicals to make the desired results. They would also analyze compounds borne out of the different mixtures and record their observations. They tabulate the results and present these to the body. Laboratory Chemists should have good organization skills. They should be able to document their experiments properly. This would help the company and future researchers.
Chemist assistants and laboratory chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chemist Assistant | Laboratory Chemist | |
| Average salary | $51,817 | $62,702 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $87,000 | Between $45,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Nutley, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | Virginia |
| Best paying company | - | BASF |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a chemist assistant and a laboratory chemist in terms of educational background:
| Chemist Assistant | Laboratory Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between chemist assistants' and laboratory chemists' demographics:
| Chemist Assistant | Laboratory Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.3% Female, 43.7% | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |