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The differences between senior environmental scientists and field scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior environmental scientist and a field scientist. Additionally, a senior environmental scientist has an average salary of $82,812, which is higher than the $76,601 average annual salary of a field scientist.
The top three skills for a senior environmental scientist include environmental compliance, oversight and project management. The most important skills for a field scientist are field testing, data collection, and geotechnical.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Field Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $82,812 | $76,601 |
| Hourly rate | $39.81 | $36.83 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 56,184 | 88,454 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior environmental scientist specializes in conducting studies to identify environmental problems and develop solutions to improve its condition. The daily responsibilities of a senior environmental scientist often depend on their place of employment. Still, they typically include performing research and analysis, conducting observations and interviews, gathering samples, preparing documentation, and spearheading laboratory experiments and procedures. Through their research findings, they must produce reports and presentations along with appropriate recommendations. Furthermore, as a senior scientist, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior scientists while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
The duties of a field scientist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In general, their responsibilities typically include conducting studies and scientific research, visiting various sites to observe and gather samples, performing laboratory analyses and experiments, maintaining records of all operations, and coming up with conclusions from the research findings. When it comes to employment opportunities, a field scientist may work for learning institutions, government agencies, and private companies, where they usually work together with other scientists and experts.
Senior environmental scientists and field scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Field Scientist | |
| Average salary | $82,812 | $76,601 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $113,000 | Between $52,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Technip USA Corporation | Syngenta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Internet |
There are a few differences between a senior environmental scientist and a field scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Field Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior environmental scientists' and field scientists' demographics:
| Senior Environmental Scientist | Field Scientist | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 72.5% Female, 27.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |