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The differences between production chemists and senior chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior chemist has an average salary of $91,008, which is higher than the $62,937 average annual salary of a production chemist.
The top three skills for a production chemist include GMP, laboratory equipment and synthesis. The most important skills for a senior chemist are method development, laboratory equipment, and HPLC.
| Production Chemist | Senior Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,937 | $91,008 |
| Hourly rate | $30.26 | $43.75 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 58,948 | 12,823 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A production chemist is responsible for conducting research and laboratory experiments to identify chemical resources that support the manufacturing of industrial products and services. Production chemists strategize on effective methods to maximize the product's quality and efficiency, following safety regulations and legislation procedures. They also run quality checks on the components to verify their safety and minimize their environmental effect. A production chemist must have excellent organizational and critical-thinking skills, as well as having extensive knowledge of the scientific industry.
Senior Chemists are responsible for designing, developing, and testing formulations and compounds. They also maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and relevant documentation.
Production chemists and senior chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Chemist | Senior Chemist | |
| Average salary | $62,937 | $91,008 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $101,000 | Between $67,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pennsauken, NJ | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Bio-Rad Laboratories | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a production chemist and a senior chemist in terms of educational background:
| Production Chemist | Senior Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between production chemists' and senior chemists' demographics:
| Production Chemist | Senior Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 22.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |