Crime scene technician vs dna analyst

The differences between crime scene technicians and dna analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a crime scene technician and a dna analyst. Additionally, a dna analyst has an average salary of $55,294, which is higher than the $51,741 average annual salary of a crime scene technician.

The top three skills for a crime scene technician include biohazard, demolition and physical evidence. The most important skills for a dna analyst are extraction, dna analysis, and lab equipment.

Crime scene technician vs dna analyst overview

	Crime Scene Technician	DNA Analyst
Yearly salary	$51,741	$55,294
Hourly rate	$24.88	$26.58
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,535	12,410
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Crime scene technician vs dna analyst salary

Crime scene technicians and dna analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crime Scene Technician	DNA Analyst
Average salary	$51,741	$55,294
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $80,000	Between $37,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	-	Dover, DE
Highest paying state	-	Mississippi
Best paying company	-	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between crime scene technician and dna analyst education

There are a few differences between a crime scene technician and a dna analyst in terms of educational background:

	Crime Scene Technician	DNA Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Crime scene technician vs dna analyst demographics

Here are the differences between crime scene technicians' and dna analysts' demographics:

	Crime Scene Technician	DNA Analyst
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between crime scene technician and dna analyst duties and responsibilities

Crime scene technician example responsibilities.

Process crime scenes for fingerprints, DNA (various types), trace evidence, bloodstain pattern analysis, bullet trajectory.
Collaborate with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, KBI and IRS.
Check SID numbers in RAS system.
Perform enrollment procedures in helping TWs acquire their TWIC card.
Require to run NCIC on all persons requesting their weapons return.
Produce clear and classify fingerprints for immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship.

Dna analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure CODIS sample preparation and organic extraction of DNA daily metrics are achieved and maintain.
Address CODIS software and network issues throughout Wisconsin.
Monitor quality of reagents in a LIMS tracking system.
Process convict offender DNA profiles for entry into CODIS.
Collect data from the capillary electrophoresis machine and interpret the ladders, controls and data for each sample.
Train to use standard operating procedures and policy and procedure to analyze capillary electrophoresis data for several different clients.

Crime scene technician vs dna analyst skills

Common crime scene technician skills

Biohazard, 33%
Demolition, 30%
Physical Evidence, 13%
Crime Scene Investigation, 6%
Latent Prints, 3%
Crime Lab, 2%

Common dna analyst skills

Extraction, 10%
DNA Analysis, 10%
Lab Equipment, 8%
Proficiency Testing, 8%
Lims, 7%
ABI, 7%

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Crime Scene Technician
Crime Scene Technician vs DNA Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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