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The differences between pharmaceutical scientists and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmaceutical scientist has an average salary of $79,535, which is higher than the $64,961 average annual salary of a chemist.
The top three skills for a pharmaceutical scientist include dosage forms, pharmaceutical sciences and formulation development. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,535 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $38.24 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 45,560 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Pharmaceutical scientists must have master's degrees or doctorates in pharmacology, chemistry, biology, anatomy, or math. Paid around $86K per year, those who choose this career path perform drug discovery research, development, and testing. They also execute experiments for system-based research projects aimed at introducing new drugs to the marketplace.
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.
Pharmaceutical scientists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $79,535 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $115,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | BASi | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical scientist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between pharmaceutical scientists' and chemists' demographics:
| Pharmaceutical Scientist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 8% | 5% |