Find a Job You Really Want In
Forensic Investigators are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as forensic investigators in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since forensic investigators are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where forensic investigators have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around, and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for forensic investigators. After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s forensic investigators:
So there you have it — Nevada is the best of the best when it comes to being a forensic investigators.
How did it end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for forensic investigators and for more on the top ten states.
How we determined the best states to be a forensic investigator
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Pay
So in order to find out the best states for forensic investigators in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well forensic investigators get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2015:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for forensic investigators in California is $79,490 and the average salary in Illinois is $72,680, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for forensic investigators in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for forensic investigators.
1. Nevada
Total Jobs: 220
Average Annual Salary: $73,210
Average Entry Level Salary: $53,100
Average Experienced Salary: $98,440
Location Quotient: 1.76
2. Illinois
Total Jobs: 590
Average Annual Salary: $72,680
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,490
Average Experienced Salary: $110,250
Location Quotient: 0.98
3. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 40
Average Annual Salary: $61,950
Average Entry Level Salary: $40,410
Average Experienced Salary: $83,380
Location Quotient: 1.38
4. Virginia
Total Jobs: 650
Average Annual Salary: $67,770
Average Entry Level Salary: $35,010
Average Experienced Salary: $109,450
Location Quotient: 1.74
5. Iowa
Total Jobs: 100
Average Annual Salary: $64,910
Average Entry Level Salary: $45,450
Average Experienced Salary: $84,470
Location Quotient: 0.65
6. Alabama
Total Jobs: 170
Average Annual Salary: $55,650
Average Entry Level Salary: $35,330
Average Experienced Salary: $94,460
Location Quotient: 0.89
7. Indiana
Total Jobs: 280
Average Annual Salary: $57,960
Average Entry Level Salary: $38,750
Average Experienced Salary: $76,440
Location Quotient: 0.92
8. Ohio
Total Jobs: 330
Average Annual Salary: $61,730
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,300
Average Experienced Salary: $84,070
Location Quotient: 0.62
9. California
Total Jobs: 2,270
Average Annual Salary: $79,490
Average Entry Level Salary: $48,190
Average Experienced Salary: $117,410
Location Quotient: 1.44
10. Colorado
Total Jobs: 340
Average Annual Salary: $61,110
Average Entry Level Salary: $39,410
Average Experienced Salary: $84,530
Location Quotient: 1.36
There You Have It
If you’re looking to start out your career as a forensic investigator these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a forensic investigator in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For Forensic Investigators
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $73,210 |
| 2 | Illinois | $72,680 |
| 3 | Wyoming | $61,950 |
| 4 | Virginia | $67,770 |
| 5 | Iowa | $64,910 |
| 6 | Alabama | $55,650 |
| 7 | Indiana | $57,960 |
| 8 | Ohio | $61,730 |
| 9 | California | $79,490 |
| 10 | Colorado | $61,110 |
| 11 | Arizona | $55,960 |
| 12 | Washington | $62,020 |
| 13 | Nebraska | $53,090 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $51,420 |
| 15 | Michigan | $58,190 |
| 16 | Kansas | $49,640 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $55,270 |
| 18 | Utah | $51,030 |
| 19 | Maryland | $64,760 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $47,230 |
| 21 | Oregon | $63,610 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $68,430 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $72,550 |
| 24 | Idaho | $48,170 |
| 25 | Montana | $57,390 |
| 26 | Missouri | $50,260 |
| 27 | Texas | $49,380 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $50,880 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $50,450 |
| 30 | Florida | $47,490 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $56,570 |
| 32 | Georgia | $47,680 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $40,740 |
| 34 | New York | $65,560 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $44,340 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | $70,800 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $49,510 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $48,690 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $0 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $46,040 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $54,660 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $46,050 |
| 43 | Maine | $44,040 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $41,430 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $55,380 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
