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The differences between production scientists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a production scientist and a scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $77,464 average annual salary of a production scientist.
The top three skills for a production scientist include process improvement, QC and lab equipment. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Production Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $77,464 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $37.24 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 100,301 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Production scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $77,464 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $124,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Beckman Coulter | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Production Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between production scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Production Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |