Staff chemist vs production chemist

The differences between staff chemists and production 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 $62,937 average annual salary of a production chemist.

The top three skills for a staff chemist include chemistry, ms and GC. The most important skills for a production chemist are GMP, laboratory equipment, and synthesis.

Staff chemist vs production chemist overview

	Staff Chemist	Production Chemist
Yearly salary	$84,235	$62,937
Hourly rate	$40.50	$30.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	70,982	58,948
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Staff chemist vs production chemist salary

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

	Staff Chemist	Production Chemist
Average salary	$84,235	$62,937
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $127,000	Between $38,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	Pennsauken, NJ
Highest paying state	Delaware	Delaware
Best paying company	Seagate Technology	Bio-Rad Laboratories
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between staff chemist and production chemist education

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

	Staff Chemist	Production Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California

Staff chemist vs production chemist demographics

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

	Staff Chemist	Production Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6%
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, 7.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between staff chemist and production 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.

Production chemist example responsibilities.

Lead the team in the isolation and purification of critical enzymes vital to the manufacture of diagnostic medical reagents.
Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Experience with running ELISA as well as SDS-PAGE.
Coordinate with technicians on ELISA performance and troubleshooting.
Perform UPLC, FTIR, and moisture analysis.
Perform in-process and finish products sample testing using HPLC.

Staff chemist vs production chemist skills

Common staff chemist skills

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

Common production chemist skills

GMP, 13%
Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Synthesis, 8%
ISO, 7%
R, 5%
Safety Guidelines, 4%

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Staff Chemist
Staff Chemist vs Production Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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