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The differences between quality assurance chemists and production chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production chemist has an average salary of $62,937, 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 production chemist are GMP, laboratory equipment, and synthesis.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Production Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,242 | $62,937 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $30.26 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 66,457 | 58,948 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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 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.
Quality assurance chemists and production chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Production Chemist | |
| Average salary | $59,242 | $62,937 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $82,000 | Between $38,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Pennsauken, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Clariant | Bio-Rad Laboratories |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance chemist and a production chemist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Production Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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 production chemists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Production Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% | Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6% |
| 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, 7.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |