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The differences between quality managers and laboratory managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a quality manager and a laboratory manager. Additionally, a quality manager has an average salary of $91,357, which is higher than the $74,314 average annual salary of a laboratory manager.
The top three skills for a quality manager include continuous improvement, corrective action and quality standards. The most important skills for a laboratory manager are lab equipment, patients, and customer service.
| Quality Manager | Laboratory Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $91,357 | $74,314 |
| Hourly rate | $43.92 | $35.73 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 63,422 | 43,321 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A quality manager is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the level of quality of the company's product outputs is met for customers. Quality managers monitor and evaluate the internal production process so that they can produce statistical reports on the standard of quality and communicate them to upper management. To ensure health and safety standards, quality managers must create and maintain up-to-date product or process specifications. They also train employees on quality assurance standards and processes.
Laboratory managers provide accurate laboratory diagnosis through evaluating specimen procedures and coordinating with pathologists to validate laboratory findings. They are responsible for maintaining laboratory tools and equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of instruments before and after use, organizing equipment based on its function, and immediately repairing or replacing defective items. A laboratory manager also secures the confidentiality of laboratory systems, keeping records of results, and releasing information to the appropriate personnel. Laboratory managers must have a broad knowledge of the scientific industry, as well as excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.
Quality managers and laboratory managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Manager | Laboratory Manager | |
| Average salary | $91,357 | $74,314 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $128,000 | Between $49,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality manager and a laboratory manager in terms of educational background:
| Quality Manager | Laboratory Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Biology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality managers' and laboratory managers' demographics:
| Quality Manager | Laboratory Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |