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The differences between senior principal scientists and associate 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 principal scientist and an associate scientist. Additionally, a senior principal scientist has an average salary of $119,042, which is higher than the $76,461 average annual salary of an associate scientist.
The top three skills for a senior principal scientist include chemistry, drug discovery and java. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,042 | $76,461 |
| Hourly rate | $57.23 | $36.76 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 85,334 | 54,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Senior Principal Scientist is focused on providing technical and scientific expertise in a specific field. They conduct quantitative and qualitative research to enhance existing products or develop new ones.
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
Senior principal scientists and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Principal Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,042 | $76,461 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $169,000 | Between $53,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior principal scientist and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior principal scientists' and associate scientists' demographics:
| Senior Principal Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |