Crime scene technician vs forensic science examiner

The differences between crime scene technicians and forensic science examiners 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 forensic science examiner. Additionally, a forensic science examiner has an average salary of $55,410, which is higher than the $51,741 average annual salary of a crime scene technician.

Crime scene technician vs forensic science examiner overview

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Science Examiner
Yearly salary	$51,741	$55,410
Hourly rate	$24.88	$26.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,535	7,275
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 forensic science examiner salary

Crime scene technicians and forensic science examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Science Examiner
Average salary	$51,741	$55,410
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $80,000	Between $26,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between crime scene technician and forensic science examiner education

There are a few differences between a crime scene technician and a forensic science examiner in terms of educational background:

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Science Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Crime scene technician vs forensic science examiner demographics

Here are the differences between crime scene technicians' and forensic science examiners' demographics:

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Science Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
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, 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 crime scene technician and forensic science examiner 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.

Forensic science examiner example responsibilities.

Examine firearms for the presence of blood and touch DNA.
Examine evidence hard drives and other media devices with FTK following chain-of-custody procedures for manual processing procedures.
Direct employees in the unit to switch among functions depending on the work counts within the IAFIS.

Crime scene technician vs forensic science examiner skills

Common crime scene technician skills

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

Common forensic science examiner skills

Crime Scene Technician vs. similar jobs

Crime Scene Technician related careers

Crime Scene Technician related jobs

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Crime Scene Technician
Crime Scene Technician vs Forensic Science Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

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