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The differences between quality controls 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 $32,824 average annual salary of a quality control.
The top three skills for a quality control include quality checks, product quality and safety standards. The most important skills for a quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $32,824 | $61,473 |
| Hourly rate | $15.78 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 83,496 | 62,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
As the name entails, the job of a quality control inspector is to inspect, maintain, and improve the quality and standard of products. They are responsible for ensuring the company's reputation is not damaged due to defective products or inferior manufacturing processes. This can be done by detecting and resolving the problem early on, and returning the product for repair. A quality control inspector should also notify the supervisors immediately when issues arise and coordinate with them to address the problem.
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 controls and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average salary | $32,824 | $61,473 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $45,000 | Between $44,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New York |
| Best paying company | BD | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality control and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between quality controls' and quality assurance associates' demographics:
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 8% | 11% |