Criminalist vs crime scene analyst

The differences between criminalists and crime scene 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 criminalist and a crime scene analyst. Additionally, a criminalist has an average salary of $68,152, which is higher than the $60,637 average annual salary of a crime scene analyst.

The top three skills for a criminalist include physical evidence, laboratory reports and body fluids. The most important skills for a crime scene analyst are physical evidence, law enforcement agencies, and crime scene investigation.

Criminalist vs crime scene analyst overview

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Analyst
Yearly salary	$68,152	$60,637
Hourly rate	$32.77	$29.15
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	14,872	231
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Criminalist vs crime scene analyst salary

Criminalists and crime scene analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Analyst
Average salary	$68,152	$60,637
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $127,000	Between $37,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	City of Los Angeles	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between criminalist and crime scene analyst education

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

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Criminalist vs crime scene analyst demographics

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

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Analyst
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 criminalist and crime scene analyst duties and responsibilities

Criminalist example responsibilities.

Perform bone processing and DNA extraction from human remains.
Perform restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and PCR analysis.
Perform preventive maintenance on GC instruments and maintain preventive maintenance records in binders and LIMS.
Analyze controlled and non-control drugs using FTIR, GC/MS, GC/FID, and HPLC methods.
Analyze samples for the presence or absence of control substances using GC-MS, FTIR, microscopy and other chemical tests.
Develop a computerize firearms inspection worksheet that provide a print inspection report and create a firearms database.

Crime scene analyst example responsibilities.

Participate on inter-agency task forces to strategically apprehend and convict key members of criminal groups in the Chicagoland area.
Collect evidence using various collection and detection methods including photography, ALS and chemical processing.

Criminalist vs crime scene analyst skills

Common criminalist skills

Physical Evidence, 18%
Laboratory Reports, 7%
Body Fluids, 7%
Quantitative Analysis, 5%
Perform DNA, 5%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

Common crime scene analyst skills

Physical Evidence, 78%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 11%
Crime Scene Investigation, 11%

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Criminalist vs Crime Scene Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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