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The differences between quality assurance chemists and associate chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate chemist has an average salary of $61,544, which is higher than the $59,242 average annual salary of a quality assurance chemist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance chemist include lab equipment, R and HPLC. The most important skills for an associate chemist are lab equipment, HPLC, and method development.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,242 | $61,544 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $29.59 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 66,457 | 7,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Quality Assurance Chemists generally offer pay of around $54K per year and require strong skills in analysis and instrumentation and general knowledge of chemistry, attention to detail, and various organizational skills. Also, they must be able to investigate and analyze problems whenever they crop up. This career choice requires a bachelor's or advanced degree in chemistry, depending on the industry, and will often be offered in pharmaceutical fields, where standard duties consist of the measurement and testing of lab materials and products according to industry standards.
An Associate Chemist performs and analyzes chemical tests and procedures. They maintain the stock of drugs and ensure that they are stored in a secure place.
Quality assurance chemists and associate chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Average salary | $59,242 | $61,544 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $82,000 | Between $39,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Worcester, MA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Clariant | Alere |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance chemist and an associate chemist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between quality assurance chemists' and associate chemists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |