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The differences between usability specialists and human factors 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 usability specialist and a human factors scientist. Additionally, a human factors scientist has an average salary of $87,720, which is higher than the $86,253 average annual salary of a usability specialist.
The top three skills for a usability specialist include user experience, web application and user interface. The most important skills for a human factors scientist are human subjects, consumer products, and data collection.
| Usability Specialist | Human Factors Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,253 | $87,720 |
| Hourly rate | $41.47 | $42.17 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 790 | 78,875 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Usability specialists and human factors scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Usability Specialist | Human Factors Scientist | |
| Average salary | $86,253 | $87,720 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $143,000 | Between $59,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Blue Shield of California | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Media | - |
There are a few differences between a usability specialist and a human factors scientist in terms of educational background:
| Usability Specialist | Human Factors Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between usability specialists' and human factors scientists' demographics:
| Usability Specialist | Human Factors Scientist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.9% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 11.2% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |