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The differences between organic chemists and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an organic chemist has an average salary of $76,894, which is higher than the $64,961 average annual salary of a chemist.
The top three skills for an organic chemist include NMR, method development and HPLC. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Organic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $76,894 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $36.97 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,680 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An organic chemist studies the properties of chemicals with carbon. This type of chemistry is vital for industries concerning products and services related to living organisms, such as plants, animals, and people. Pharmaceuticals, the food industry, and agriculture all require an organic chemist's skill to create and develop products suitable for living organisms. The organic chemist's role is to help in the development phase of a product, determine its effects on biological life, and note all side-effects: many companies, especially those concerned in medicine and food production.
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.
Organic chemists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Organic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $76,894 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $116,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, DE | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Entegris | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an organic chemist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Organic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | 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 organic chemists' and chemists' demographics:
| Organic Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.0% White, 58.5% 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% |