Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between forensic chemists 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 $56,597 average annual salary of a forensic chemist.
The top three skills for a forensic chemist include ms, GC and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Forensic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $56,597 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,902 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A forensic chemist analyzes non-biological trace evidence at crime scenes for the determination of unknown materials. Forensic chemists apply chemistry and its subfield forensic toxicology and employ the scientific method to investigate the presented evidence. The result of their analysis provides investigators and medical examiners the necessary information for logical conclusions on probable crimes. Patience and versatility are often cited as the important qualities forensic chemists need to acquire.
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.
Forensic chemists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forensic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $56,597 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $80,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a forensic chemist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Forensic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between forensic chemists' and chemists' demographics:
| Forensic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 5% | 5% |