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The differences between senior data scientists and 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 senior data scientist and a scientist. Additionally, a senior data scientist has an average salary of $124,093, which is higher than the $97,344 average annual salary of a scientist.
The top three skills for a senior data scientist include python, data science and visualization. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Senior Data Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $124,093 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $59.66 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 103,618 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior data scientist is responsible for overseeing the work of the junior data scientist and providing advanced expertise in mathematical and statistical concepts for the analytics and data department. You will perform various tasks, including outlining the work requirements, monitoring the performance of junior data scientists, and assigning tasks to them. Other typical duties include preparing non-technical reports detailing the limitations and successes of projects, providing recommendations on how insights might be utilized to inform business strategy, and keeping up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in data science.
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.
Senior data scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Data Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $124,093 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $170,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Brex | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior data scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Data Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Mathematics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior data scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Senior Data Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 18.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |