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The differences between quality assurance chemists and formulation chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a formulation chemist has an average salary of $66,678, 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 a formulation chemist are scale-up, R, and product development.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Formulation Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,242 | $66,678 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $32.06 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 66,457 | 3,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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.
A formulation chemist is responsible for generating new concepts for product development that adhere to quality standards and safety regulations. Formulation chemists identify product opportunities by analyzing the current industry trends, developing cost-reduction initiatives, and determining efficient formulations through in-depth research and laboratory experiments. They write formulation reports and product processing, collaborating with the marketing and sales team for brand promotion and awareness. A formulation chemist must have a critical understanding of scientific methods, including chemical mixing, to achieve desired outputs.
Quality assurance chemists and formulation chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Formulation Chemist | |
| Average salary | $59,242 | $66,678 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $82,000 | Between $46,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Frederick, MD |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Washington |
| Best paying company | Clariant | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance chemist and a formulation chemist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Formulation Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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 formulation chemists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Formulation Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% | Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4% |
| 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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |