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The differences between pharmaceutical representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a pharmaceutical representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales specialist has an average salary of $73,003, which is higher than the $66,166 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical representative.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical representative include pharmaceutical products, territory management and medical professionals. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Pharmaceutical Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $66,166 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $31.81 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 51,956 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Pharmaceutical representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $66,166 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $103,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical representatives' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |