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The differences between principal chemists and environmental 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 $56,956 average annual salary of an environmental chemist.
The top three skills for a principal chemist include analytical chemistry, R and product development. The most important skills for an environmental chemist are data validation, GC, and ms.
| Principal Chemist | Environmental Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $74,065 | $56,956 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $27.38 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 42,121 | 22,234 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| 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.
Environmental chemists are chemistry experts who conduct research or experiments about the effects of chemicals on the environment and human activities. These chemists are required to monitor the source and extent of pollution and contamination, especially the compounds that can affect human health. They are involved in the analytical testing of new products developed in the lab while ensuring the safety of their workplace by issuing safety guidelines. Environmental chemists are also required to express ideas effectively to a non-scientific audience.
Principal chemists and environmental chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Chemist | Environmental Chemist | |
| Average salary | $74,065 | $56,956 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $105,000 | Between $38,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richland, WA | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Southern California Edison |
| Best paying industry | - | Internet |
There are a few differences between a principal chemist and an environmental chemist in terms of educational background:
| Principal Chemist | Environmental Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between principal chemists' and environmental chemists' demographics:
| Principal Chemist | Environmental Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% |
| 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, 8.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |