Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between researchers and research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a researcher and a research scientist. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a researcher include python, lab equipment and C++. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Researcher | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $67,145 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $32.28 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 30,498 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Researchers and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Researcher | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $67,145 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $119,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Renaissance Learning | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a researcher and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Researcher | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between researchers' and research scientists' demographics:
| Researcher | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |