Crime scene technician vs forensic toxicologist

The differences between crime scene technicians and forensic toxicologists 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 toxicologist. Additionally, a forensic toxicologist has an average salary of $70,179, 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 toxicologist are ms, laboratory equipment, and GC.

Crime scene technician vs forensic toxicologist overview

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Toxicologist
Yearly salary	$51,741	$70,179
Hourly rate	$24.88	$33.74
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,535	807
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Crime scene technician vs forensic toxicologist salary

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

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Toxicologist
Average salary	$51,741	$70,179
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $80,000	Between $39,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between crime scene technician and forensic toxicologist education

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

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Toxicologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Chemistry
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Crime scene technician vs forensic toxicologist demographics

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

	Crime Scene Technician	Forensic Toxicologist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between crime scene technician and forensic toxicologist 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 toxicologist example responsibilities.

Perform Headspace GC analysis for presence and concentration determination of alcohols and other volatile substances in biological samples.
Used laboratory information management system (LIMS) to track casework and release results.
SOP's have to be constantly update and follow to detail to prepare the samples accurately before extraction.
Prepare samples for analysis through extraction of control substances from biological matrices.
Duplicate VHS tapes and various other types of media to DVD.
Perform confirmatory semen testing (p30 ELISA and microscopic slide searches for spermatozoa) on casework samples.

Crime scene technician vs forensic toxicologist 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 toxicologist skills

Ms, 23%
Laboratory Equipment, 13%
GC, 10%
LC, 9%
Sops, 7%
Immunoassay, 7%

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Crime Scene Technician
Crime Scene Technician vs Forensic Toxicologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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