Staff chemist vs field chemist

The differences between staff chemists and field chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff chemist has an average salary of $84,235, which is higher than the $66,162 average annual salary of a field chemist.

The top three skills for a staff chemist include chemistry, ms and GC. The most important skills for a field chemist are CDL, non-hazardous waste, and customer sites.

Staff chemist vs field chemist overview

	Staff Chemist	Field Chemist
Yearly salary	$84,235	$66,162
Hourly rate	$40.50	$31.81
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	70,982	51,922
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Staff chemist vs field chemist salary

Staff chemists and field chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Chemist	Field Chemist
Average salary	$84,235	$66,162
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $127,000	Between $43,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	-
Highest paying state	Delaware	-
Best paying company	Seagate Technology	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between staff chemist and field chemist education

There are a few differences between a staff chemist and a field chemist in terms of educational background:

	Staff Chemist	Field Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of California, Berkeley

Staff chemist vs field chemist demographics

Here are the differences between staff chemists' and field chemists' demographics:

	Staff Chemist	Field Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between staff chemist and field chemist duties and responsibilities

Staff chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Support manufacturing processes by using HPLC, GC and IR.
Complete projects in compliance with FDA GLP and cGMP regulations.
Prepare reports using LIMS databases.
Create spectral databases for FTIR and Raman systems.
Operate GC-FID and GC-TID in addition to HPLC for pilot plant support.

Field chemist example responsibilities.

Manage and audit projects to ensure compliance of state, federal and OSHA regulations.
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize analytic testing on new compounds using the following techniques: GC-MS, HPLC and ICP.
Test products for QC using standard procedures.
Analyze air samples by HPLC following EPA methods.

Staff chemist vs field chemist skills

Common staff chemist skills

Chemistry, 12%
Ms, 10%
GC, 6%
R, 6%
Gas Chromatography, 5%
Liquid Chromatography, 4%

Common field chemist skills

CDL, 39%
Non-Hazardous Waste, 7%
Customer Sites, 7%
Household Hazardous Waste, 6%
OSHA, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%

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Staff Chemist
Staff Chemist vs Field Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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