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The differences between scientists and staff 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 scientist and a staff scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $93,941 average annual salary of a staff scientist.
The top three skills for a scientist include chemistry, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $97,344 | $93,941 |
| Hourly rate | $46.80 | $45.16 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 62,467 | 121,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.
Scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average salary | $97,344 | $93,941 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $140,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Etsy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:
| Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:
| Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |