Ballistic technician vs forensic ballistics expert

The differences between ballistic technicians and forensic ballistics experts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a ballistic technician and a forensic ballistics expert. Additionally, a forensic ballistics expert has an average salary of $64,737, which is higher than the $54,313 average annual salary of a ballistic technician.

The top three skills for a ballistic technician include ammunition, ATF and . The most important skills for a forensic ballistics expert are litigation, cyber security, and encase.

Ballistic technician vs forensic ballistics expert overview

	Ballistic Technician	Forensic Ballistics Expert
Yearly salary	$54,313	$64,737
Hourly rate	$26.11	$31.12
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,513	8,905
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Ballistic technician vs forensic ballistics expert salary

Ballistic technicians and forensic ballistics experts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ballistic Technician	Forensic Ballistics Expert
Average salary	$54,313	$64,737
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $104,000	Between $36,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between ballistic technician and forensic ballistics expert education

There are a few differences between a ballistic technician and a forensic ballistics expert in terms of educational background:

	Ballistic Technician	Forensic Ballistics Expert
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ballistic technician vs forensic ballistics expert demographics

Here are the differences between ballistic technicians' and forensic ballistics experts' demographics:

	Ballistic Technician	Forensic Ballistics Expert
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%	Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 11.4% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 11.4% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between ballistic technician and forensic ballistics expert duties and responsibilities

Ballistic technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing technical and regulatory site visits to the laboratory and interface with QA and RA on all vendor/regulatory audits.
Conduct ballistic tests for customers, domestic and foreign, seeking NIJ certification or research.
Evaluate current lab practices and independent initialization of startup procedures for new lab practices and lab organization for ISO accreditation.
Install blast sleeves, positive and negative EB switches w/ retaining nuts and top sub head assembly.
Check SID numbers in RAS system.

Forensic ballistics expert example responsibilities.

Manage use and maintenance of company vehicle, surveying equip., cameras, and firearms.
Provide computer forensics, litigation and regulatory support, including expert testimony.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Perform function tests on submit firearms and collect standards for microscopic comparisons.

Ballistic technician vs forensic ballistics expert skills

Common ballistic technician skills

Ammunition, 58%
ATF, 42%

Common forensic ballistics expert skills

Litigation, 42%
Cyber Security, 23%
Encase, 15%
E-Discovery, 13%
Security Practices, 7%

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Ballistic Technician vs Forensic Ballistics Expert

Updated January 8, 2025

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