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The differences between laboratory 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 $62,702 average annual salary of a laboratory chemist.
The top three skills for a laboratory chemist include lab equipment, chromatography and analytical methods. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Laboratory Chemist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,702 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $30.15 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 41,322 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Laboratory Chemists are licensed scientists who work with chemicals. They are usually found in academic institutions or research facilities. Laboratory Chemists create experiments based on the needs of the institution or company. They mix different chemicals to make the desired results. They would also analyze compounds borne out of the different mixtures and record their observations. They tabulate the results and present these to the body. Laboratory Chemists should have good organization skills. They should be able to document their experiments properly. This would help the company and future researchers.
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.
Laboratory chemists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $62,702 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $86,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Nutley, NJ | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Delaware |
| Best paying company | BASF | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a laboratory chemist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Chemist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between laboratory chemists' and chemists' demographics:
| Laboratory Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 60.0% 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% |