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The differences between pharmacists and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist has an average salary of $118,968, which is higher than the $64,961 average annual salary of a chemist.
The top three skills for a pharmacist include patients, customer service and employee development. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Pharmacist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $118,968 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $57.20 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 50,943 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.67 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Pharmacists are medical experts who distribute prescribed medications and immunizations to individuals. They are responsible for ensuring the quality of medicines supplied to patients, which should be within the law and prescribing only what is suitable to the condition of the user and provide proper knowledge on how to take them and possible reactions or side effects that may occur. Pharmacists could work in all environments where medications are used, or medication therapy is appraised as part of patients' care plan but most commonly in hospitals, community-based setting, and health systems.
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.
Pharmacists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $118,968 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $151,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Safeway | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a pharmacist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between pharmacists' and chemists' demographics:
| Pharmacist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 20.9% White, 62.4% 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 | 11% | 5% |