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The differences between forensic chemists and quality assurance chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance chemist has an average salary of $59,242, 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 quality assurance chemist are lab equipment, R, and HPLC.
| Forensic Chemist | Quality Assurance Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $56,597 | $59,242 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $28.48 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,902 | 66,457 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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.
Quality Assurance Chemists generally offer pay of around $54K per year and require strong skills in analysis and instrumentation and general knowledge of chemistry, attention to detail, and various organizational skills. Also, they must be able to investigate and analyze problems whenever they crop up. This career choice requires a bachelor's or advanced degree in chemistry, depending on the industry, and will often be offered in pharmaceutical fields, where standard duties consist of the measurement and testing of lab materials and products according to industry standards.
Forensic chemists and quality assurance chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forensic Chemist | Quality Assurance Chemist | |
| Average salary | $56,597 | $59,242 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $80,000 | Between $42,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | East Windsor, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | Virginia |
| Best paying company | - | Clariant |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a forensic chemist and a quality assurance chemist in terms of educational background:
| Forensic Chemist | Quality Assurance Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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 quality assurance chemists' demographics:
| Forensic Chemist | Quality Assurance Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4% | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |