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The differences between chemistry laboratory assistants and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chemist has an average salary of $64,961, 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 chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,971 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $14.89 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 40,180 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
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.
Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.
Chemistry laboratory assistants and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $30,971 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $58,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory assistant and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory assistants' and chemists' demographics:
| Chemistry Laboratory Assistant | Chemist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| 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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |