Water chemist vs formulation chemist

The differences between water chemists and formulation chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a formulation chemist has an average salary of $66,678, which is higher than the $57,165 average annual salary of a water chemist.

The top three skills for a water chemist include water samples, QC and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a formulation chemist are scale-up, R, and product development.

Water chemist vs formulation chemist overview

	Water Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,165	$66,678
Hourly rate	$27.48	$32.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	8,829	3,011
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Water chemist vs formulation chemist salary

Water chemists and formulation chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average salary	$57,165	$66,678
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $83,000	Between $46,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	Frederick, MD
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Apple
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between water chemist and formulation chemist education

There are a few differences between a water chemist and a formulation chemist in terms of educational background:

	Water Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Water chemist vs formulation chemist demographics

Here are the differences between water chemists' and formulation chemists' demographics:

	Water Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9%	Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between water chemist and formulation chemist duties and responsibilities

Water chemist example responsibilities.

Administer various laboratory safety audits with regard to OSHA rules and regulations to maintain adherence and manage necessary corrective actions.
Operate and maintain lab instrumentation such as pH meter, titration apparatus, spectrophotometer, etc.
Design FTIR chemical mapping/imaging experiments to evaluate sample heterogeneity, contamination, diffusion kinetics, dispersion quality and polymer cure uniformity.
Conduct laboratory analysis through the use of atomic absorption spectroscopy, titrations, and spectrophotometry.

Formulation chemist example responsibilities.

Utilize Citrix LIMS to register, manage, enter and release sample results for supervisor review.
Provide key data in GLP testing of in-house samples using GC, AA, and UV-Vis.
Follow ASTM procedures and criteria for analyzing products.
Create internal sensory training according to the ASTM method.
Help to aid the plant in becoming compliant with EPA standards.
Perform analysis of pharmaceutical drug products in compliance cGMP and GLP procedures.

Water chemist vs formulation chemist skills

Common water chemist skills

Water Samples, 14%
QC, 13%
Laboratory Equipment, 12%
Water Treatment Plant, 12%
Water Quality, 11%
Laboratory Procedures, 9%

Common formulation chemist skills

Scale-Up, 8%
R, 7%
Product Development, 6%
Lab Notebook, 6%
Formulation Development, 5%
QC, 4%

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Water Chemist vs Formulation Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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