Industrial chemist vs process chemist

The differences between industrial chemists and process chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process chemist has an average salary of $81,542, which is higher than the $78,632 average annual salary of an industrial chemist.

The top three skills for an industrial chemist include titration, HPLC and R. The most important skills for a process chemist are lab equipment, HPLC, and R.

Industrial chemist vs process chemist overview

	Industrial Chemist	Process Chemist
Yearly salary	$78,632	$81,542
Hourly rate	$37.80	$39.20
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	11,209	29,813
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Industrial chemist vs process chemist salary

Industrial chemists and process chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Industrial Chemist	Process Chemist
Average salary	$78,632	$81,542
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $117,000	Between $54,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	-	Wilmington, DE
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	Bio-Rad Laboratories
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between industrial chemist and process chemist education

There are a few differences between an industrial chemist and a process chemist in terms of educational background:

	Industrial Chemist	Process Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Industrial chemist vs process chemist demographics

Here are the differences between industrial chemists' and process chemists' demographics:

	Industrial Chemist	Process Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%
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, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 20.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between industrial chemist and process chemist duties and responsibilities

Industrial chemist example responsibilities.

Write procedure deviations forms to justify valid results or outliers to accomplish GLP regulations.
Analyze industrial hygiene samples with HPLC and GC.
Perform HPLC analysis on air quality filter and badges.
Maintain various logbooks and records pertaining to GC, LC, and gravimetric instruments.
Perform soxhlet extractions and GC analyses of compound treat rodent feed used in toxicity studies.
Take initiative to be cross-train in chemistry methods used by the company to perform additional tests that ensure uninterrupt laboratory operation.

Process chemist example responsibilities.

Manage synthesis and production of specialty chemicals for carpet and textile industry.
Support new, modify and existing chemical processes by developing and validating HPLC and GC methods with a rapid turnaround time.
Analyze unknown materials with FTIR, Raman, and SEM-EDS.
Display improving working knowledge of business processes as they relate to GMP manufacturing.
Create titration solution and other solutions such as stock solutions used in analysis.
Show a desire to learn about and understand advance chemistry principles underlying project assignments.

Industrial chemist vs process chemist skills

Common industrial chemist skills

Titration, 14%
HPLC, 13%
R, 12%
GMP, 10%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
Analytical Support, 6%

Common process chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 7%
HPLC, 6%
R, 5%
GMP, 5%
NMR, 4%
Sigma, 4%

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Industrial Chemist
Industrial Chemist vs Process Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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