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The differences between expert witnesses and subject matter experts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an expert witness and a subject matter expert. Additionally, a subject matter expert has an average salary of $103,749, which is higher than the $65,959 average annual salary of an expert witness.
The top three skills for an expert witness include arbitration, litigation and trial preparation. The most important skills for a subject matter expert are SME, project management, and DOD.
| Expert Witness | Subject Matter Expert | |
| Yearly salary | $65,959 | $103,749 |
| Hourly rate | $31.71 | $49.88 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 12,534 | 58,235 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Expert witnesses and subject matter experts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Expert Witness | Subject Matter Expert | |
| Average salary | $65,959 | $103,749 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $95,000 | Between $73,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between an expert witness and a subject matter expert in terms of educational background:
| Expert Witness | Subject Matter Expert | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between expert witnesses' and subject matter experts' demographics:
| Expert Witness | Subject Matter Expert | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 9.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |