Contract chemist vs production chemist

The differences between contract chemists and production chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contract chemist has an average salary of $67,064, which is higher than the $62,937 average annual salary of a production chemist.

The top three skills for a contract chemist include laboratory equipment, method development and R. The most important skills for a production chemist are GMP, laboratory equipment, and synthesis.

Contract chemist vs production chemist overview

	Contract Chemist	Production Chemist
Yearly salary	$67,064	$62,937
Hourly rate	$32.24	$30.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	11,286	58,948
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Contract chemist vs production chemist salary

Contract chemists and production chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contract Chemist	Production Chemist
Average salary	$67,064	$62,937
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $38,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	-	Pennsauken, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	Bio-Rad Laboratories
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between contract chemist and production chemist education

There are a few differences between a contract chemist and a production chemist in terms of educational background:

	Contract Chemist	Production Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Contract chemist vs production chemist demographics

Here are the differences between contract chemists' and production chemists' demographics:

	Contract Chemist	Production Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3%	Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6%
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, 7.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between contract chemist and production chemist duties and responsibilities

Contract chemist example responsibilities.

Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
Develop HPLC methods for the analysis of drugs and relate substances in a GMP environment.
Analyze polymer materials using ASTM methods.
Review routine and validation projects under GMP guidelines.
Blend specialty carrier gases, complete GMP and safety checklists.
Log in samples into LIMS and generate reports for customers.

Production chemist example responsibilities.

Lead the team in the isolation and purification of critical enzymes vital to the manufacture of diagnostic medical reagents.
Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Experience with running ELISA as well as SDS-PAGE.
Coordinate with technicians on ELISA performance and troubleshooting.
Perform UPLC, FTIR, and moisture analysis.
Perform in-process and finish products sample testing using HPLC.

Contract chemist vs production chemist skills

Common contract chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 17%
Method Development, 13%
R, 10%
Analytical Data, 7%
HPLC, 7%
Ms, 4%

Common production chemist skills

GMP, 13%
Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Synthesis, 8%
ISO, 7%
R, 5%
Safety Guidelines, 4%

Contract Chemist vs. similar jobs

Contract Chemist related careers

Contract Chemist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Contract Chemist
Contract Chemist vs Production Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs