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The differences between laboratory scientists and quality control analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a laboratory scientist has an average salary of $66,249, which is higher than the $59,217 average annual salary of a quality control analyst.
The top three skills for a laboratory scientist include chemistry, ASCP and laboratory procedures. The most important skills for a quality control analyst are QC, lab equipment, and microbiology.
| Laboratory Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $66,249 | $59,217 |
| Hourly rate | $31.85 | $28.47 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 85,546 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A laboratory scientist specializes in conducting research and experiments for a company or an academic institution. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around gathering and labeling samples, documenting data and progress, reviewing results, and even maintaining the cleanliness of the laboratory and its apparatus. There are also instances when they have to collaborate with other scientists, report progress, and even contribute them to different publications. Furthermore, a laboratory scientist may supervise less experienced colleagues, all while implementing the safety policies and regulations of the laboratory to maintain a safe and productive work environment.
Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.
Laboratory scientists and quality control analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Average salary | $66,249 | $59,217 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $93,000 | Between $40,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Raleigh, NC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | North Carolina |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a laboratory scientist and a quality control analyst in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between laboratory scientists' and quality control analysts' demographics:
| Laboratory Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 12.8% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |