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The differences between production scientists and quality control analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production scientist has an average salary of $77,464, which is higher than the $59,217 average annual salary of a quality control analyst.
The top three skills for a production scientist include process improvement, QC and lab equipment. The most important skills for a quality control analyst are QC, lab equipment, and microbiology.
| Production Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $77,464 | $59,217 |
| Hourly rate | $37.24 | $28.47 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 100,301 | 85,546 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A production scientist analyzes production operations and manufacturing processes to identify gaps, modify current procedures that would increase process efficiency, and maximize optimal performance. Production scientists inspect the tools and materials utilized for the production and oversee research trials for process formulations. They also develop opportunities and design models that support business functions, generating more innovation and increasing more revenue resources for the business. A production scientist writes research findings, manages resources, and determines various process feasibility.
Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.
Production scientists and quality control analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Average salary | $77,464 | $59,217 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $124,000 | Between $40,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Raleigh, NC |
| Highest paying state | California | North Carolina |
| Best paying company | Beckman Coulter | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a production scientist and a quality control analyst in terms of educational background:
| Production Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production scientists' and quality control analysts' demographics:
| Production Scientist | Quality Control Analyst | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% | Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 23.3% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 12.8% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |