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The differences between quality assurance technicians and quality assurance associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance technician and a quality assurance associate. Additionally, a quality assurance associate has an average salary of $61,473, which is higher than the $40,027 average annual salary of a quality assurance technician.
The top three skills for a quality assurance technician include food safety, GMP and lab equipment. The most important skills for a quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.
| Quality Assurance Technician | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $40,027 | $61,473 |
| Hourly rate | $19.24 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,534 | 62,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Quality assurance is an essential part of a company that offers products and services. It is critical that the company's output remains consistent and up to par with community standards. It is the assistant quality assurance manager's role to inspect, monitor, and evaluate the quality of every product. The goal is to establish customer satisfaction and trust. The assistant quality assurance manager works with the head manager and helps generate reports of daily activities for executive evaluations.
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 technicians and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Technician | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average salary | $40,027 | $61,473 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $60,000 | Between $44,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | SMTC | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance technician and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Technician | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Biology | Accounting |
| Most common college | Purdue University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between quality assurance technicians' and quality assurance associates' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Technician | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 6% | 11% |