Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between chemistry laboratory assistants and biology laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a chemistry laboratory assistant, becoming a biology laboratory assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a biology laboratory assistant has an average salary of $34,240, which is higher than the $30,971 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory assistant.
The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory assistant include lab equipment, lab safety and chemistry lab. The most important skills for a biology laboratory assistant are lab equipment, biology laboratory, and chemistry.
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Biology Laboratory Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,971 | $34,240 |
| Hourly rate | $14.89 | $16.46 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 40,180 | 48,958 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.
A biology laboratory assistant is in charge of assisting scientists or researchers and performing laboratory support tasks on a daily basis. Their responsibilities include setting up and sanitizing equipment, preparing samples, maintaining documentation of all experiments and procedures, writing laboratory reports, and running errands as needed. There are also instances where they must update databases, answer calls and correspondence, and grade student papers. Furthermore, a biology laboratory assistant must maintain the cleanliness of laboratories, all while implementing its policies and regulations.
Chemistry laboratory assistants and biology laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Biology Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,971 | $34,240 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $58,000 | Between $22,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Bridgewater, MA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory assistant and a biology laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Biology Laboratory Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory assistants' and biology laboratory assistants' demographics:
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Biology Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5% | Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 14.9% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |