Field chemist vs quality control analyst

The differences between field chemists and quality control analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a field chemist has an average salary of $66,162, which is higher than the $59,217 average annual salary of a quality control analyst.

The top three skills for a field chemist include CDL, non-hazardous waste and customer sites. The most important skills for a quality control analyst are QC, lab equipment, and microbiology.

Field chemist vs quality control analyst overview

	Field Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Yearly salary	$66,162	$59,217
Hourly rate	$31.81	$28.47
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	51,922	85,546
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a field chemist do?

Field chemists are scientists responsible for researching reactions that occur between different substances and creating procedures for safe handling of those substances by individuals, businesses, or factories. They are involved in gathering research data, implementing regulatory standards for hazardous substances, and assisting with the clean-up process for incidents such as spills. The data gathered is used to help develop new products for use in hazardous waste management, medicine, manufacturing, and other industries.

What does a quality control analyst do?

Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.

Field chemist vs quality control analyst salary

Field chemists and quality control analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Field Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Average salary	$66,162	$59,217
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $101,000	Between $40,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	-	Raleigh, NC
Highest paying state	-	North Carolina
Best paying company	-	Barclays
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between field chemist and quality control analyst education

There are a few differences between a field chemist and a quality control analyst in terms of educational background:

	Field Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	Stanford University

Field chemist vs quality control analyst demographics

Here are the differences between field chemists' and quality control analysts' demographics:

	Field Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 12.8% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between field chemist and quality control analyst duties and responsibilities

Field chemist example responsibilities.

Manage and audit projects to ensure compliance of state, federal and OSHA regulations.
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize analytic testing on new compounds using the following techniques: GC-MS, HPLC and ICP.
Test products for QC using standard procedures.
Analyze air samples by HPLC following EPA methods.

Quality control analyst example responsibilities.

SAP, Trackwise and outlook manage.
Approve QC laboratory data ensuring correct GLP and GMP guidelines are follow and validate procedures are utilize.
Train and assist junior chemist to ensure completion of all testing on HPLC, GC, and UPLC.
Detect unknown concentrations of metals and toluene in waste water by AA and GC with purge and trap attachments.
Contract for environmental monitoring need to qualify facilities for GMP operations.
Monitor, calibrate and troubleshoot laboratory equipment to ensure proper compliance with procedures and accuracy of test results.

Field chemist vs quality control analyst skills

Common field chemist skills

CDL, 39%
Non-Hazardous Waste, 7%
Customer Sites, 7%
Household Hazardous Waste, 6%
OSHA, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%

Common quality control analyst skills

QC, 13%
Lab Equipment, 5%
Microbiology, 4%
Test Methods, 4%
HPLC, 3%
FDA, 3%

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Field Chemist vs Quality Control Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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