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The differences between quality assurance specialists and quality control specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance specialist has an average salary of $63,443, which is higher than the $49,281 average annual salary of a quality control specialist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance specialist include GMP, patients and FDA. The most important skills for a quality control specialist are GMP, patients, and customer service.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Control Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $63,443 | $49,281 |
| Hourly rate | $30.50 | $23.69 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 100,535 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
A quality control specialist is responsible for maintaining the quality of the products during production before storing for use and deliveries. Quality control specialists evaluate the products through internal specifications and processes. They conduct thorough inspections of finished products to identify any inconsistencies and malfunctions, immediately replacing or reproducing defective items. They also create a record of production issues to discuss with the management, developing strategic procedures to address quality problems for accuracy. A quality control specialist must have excellent communication skills, as well as be detail-oriented to identify areas of improvement and ensure customer satisfaction.
Quality assurance specialists and quality control specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Control Specialist | |
| Average salary | $63,443 | $49,281 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $97,000 | Between $32,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rockville, MD |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance specialist and a quality control specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Control Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance specialists' and quality control specialists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Control Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |