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The differences between quality assurance chemists and quality laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance chemist has an average salary of $59,242, which is higher than the $38,902 average annual salary of a quality laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a quality assurance chemist include lab equipment, R and HPLC. The most important skills for a quality laboratory technician are lab equipment, quality lab, and test results.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $59,242 | $38,902 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $18.70 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 66,457 | 104,887 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| 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 Laboratory Technician ensures that lab procedures and equipment meet a certain standard, as well as monitors production. They maintain quality service and a safe and healthy work environment through following organization standards.
Quality assurance chemists and quality laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $59,242 | $38,902 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $82,000 | Between $31,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Hillsboro, OR |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Idaho |
| Best paying company | Clariant | OMNOVA Solutions |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance chemist and a quality laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance chemists' and quality laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Chemist | Quality Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.1% Female, 39.9% | Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |