Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between quality assurance chemists and quality assurance associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance associate has an average salary of $61,473, 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 quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $59,242 | $61,473 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 66,457 | 62,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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 quality assurance associate's role is to oversee the production operations in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting, ensuring quality standards throughout the entire process. Most of the time, a quality assurance associate must perform workforce assessments, provide training to new employees, produce or approve documentation and progress reports, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that everything is running smoothly and complies with the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when one must address issues and concerns, providing them with the necessary corrective measures.
Quality assurance chemists and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average salary | $59,242 | $61,473 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $82,000 | Between $44,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New York |
| Best paying company | Clariant | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance chemist and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between quality assurance chemists' and quality assurance associates' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 11% |