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The differences between materials scientists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a materials scientist and a scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $84,459 average annual salary of a materials scientist.
The top three skills for a materials scientist include polymer, SEM and materials characterization. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Materials Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $84,459 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $40.61 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 46,795 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A materials scientist is responsible for evaluating scientific properties, investigating chemical solutions and structures, and analyzing the components of natural materials. Materials scientists perform data analysis using scientific methods and operating different laboratory tools and equipment to develop entirely new scientific discoveries that would benefit various market industries for production. They also validate their findings by researching existing cases or coordinating with science experts to support their claims. A materials scientist creates a comprehensive report, including its scope and benefits for society.
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.
Materials scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Materials Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $84,459 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $119,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a materials scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Materials Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between materials scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Materials Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 29.6% White, 51.4% 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% |