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The differences between principal chemists and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal chemist has an average salary of $74,065, which is higher than the $64,961 average annual salary of a chemist.
The top three skills for a principal chemist include analytical chemistry, R and product development. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Principal Chemist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $74,065 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 42,121 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Principal chemists require a bachelor's or master's degree, or even a doctorate, with a post-doctoral fellowship to gain hands-on experience doing research and chemistry, math, science, communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. They will be expected to conduct quantitative and qualitative experiments on chemical substances for quality control, as well as develop new products or knowledge about said products, and conduct a battery of experiments on organic and inorganic compounds.
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.
Principal chemists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $74,065 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $105,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richland, WA | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a principal chemist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Principal Chemist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between principal chemists' and chemists' demographics:
| Principal Chemist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 29.2% White, 51.9% 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% |