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The differences between contract researchers and graduate researchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contract researcher has an average salary of $50,230, which is higher than the $32,346 average annual salary of a graduate researcher.
The top three skills for a contract researcher include R, database management and data collection. The most important skills for a graduate researcher are R, cell culture, and research projects.
| Contract Researcher | Graduate Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $50,230 | $32,346 |
| Hourly rate | $24.15 | $15.55 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 18,223 | 17,313 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A Contract Researcher provides research support services for various industries, such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology. They are contracted by companies to lead the company's trials, duties, and functions.
A graduate researcher is responsible for supporting an educational institution's academic research processes. Graduate researchers assist in data gathering and performing in-depth analysis using research methodologies under the supervision of a research professor. In some cases, graduate researchers also conduct field investigations and analyze other research publications to verify data accuracy. They prepare reports, share recommendations, and keep an organized database for research records. A graduate researcher must have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, as this task requires interaction with the researchers and writing duties.
Contract researchers and graduate researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Researcher | Graduate Researcher | |
| Average salary | $50,230 | $32,346 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $122,000 | Between $15,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a contract researcher and a graduate researcher in terms of educational background:
| Contract Researcher | Graduate Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between contract researchers' and graduate researchers' demographics:
| Contract Researcher | Graduate Researcher | |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |