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The differences between formulation chemists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $66,678 average annual salary of a formulation chemist.
The top three skills for a formulation chemist include scale-up, R and product development. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Formulation Chemist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $66,678 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $32.06 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 3,011 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A formulation chemist is responsible for generating new concepts for product development that adhere to quality standards and safety regulations. Formulation chemists identify product opportunities by analyzing the current industry trends, developing cost-reduction initiatives, and determining efficient formulations through in-depth research and laboratory experiments. They write formulation reports and product processing, collaborating with the marketing and sales team for brand promotion and awareness. A formulation chemist must have a critical understanding of scientific methods, including chemical mixing, to achieve desired outputs.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Formulation chemists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Formulation Chemist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $66,678 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $94,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Frederick, MD | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a formulation chemist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Formulation Chemist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between formulation chemists' and scientists' demographics:
| Formulation Chemist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |