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The differences between crime scene technicians and forensic scientists 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 scientist. Additionally, a forensic scientist has an average salary of $71,351, 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 forensic scientist are laboratory equipment, physical evidence, and analytical procedures.
| Crime Scene Technician | Forensic Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,741 | $71,351 |
| Hourly rate | $24.88 | $34.30 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 5,535 | 43,335 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A crime scene technician specializes in gathering and processing evidence from crime scenes. They must visit and closely examine crime scenes, find potential clues, gather fingerprints and DNA samples, take photos and videos, recreate the crime scene through sketches or computerized models, and keep records. They also conduct laboratory analyses to process evidence and report results to investigators. They may sometimes have to testify at court, where they must present their findings objectively and clearly.
Forensic scientists work as experts in collecting evidence, analyzing evidence collected at crime scenes, and communicating with law enforcement. They can work as a lab manager and detective. They are responsible for ensuring that tests are performed correctly and ethically without any bias. They obtain evidence at the crime scene, making reports of the findings, examining the evidence in the lab if the evidence collected is relevant or not, and testifying in court. They report to superiors the findings of the analysis.
Crime scene technicians and forensic scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Crime Scene Technician | Forensic Scientist | |
| Average salary | $51,741 | $71,351 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $80,000 | Between $45,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Lincoln, NE |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Alere |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a crime scene technician and a forensic scientist in terms of educational background:
| Crime Scene Technician | Forensic Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Biology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between crime scene technicians' and forensic scientists' demographics:
| Crime Scene Technician | Forensic Scientist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |