Criminalist vs crime scene specialist

The differences between criminalists and crime scene specialists 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 specialist. Additionally, a criminalist has an average salary of $68,152, which is higher than the $58,467 average annual salary of a crime scene specialist.

The top three skills for a criminalist include physical evidence, laboratory reports and body fluids. The most important skills for a crime scene specialist are physical evidence, evidence collection, and patrol.

Criminalist vs crime scene specialist overview

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Specialist
Yearly salary	$68,152	$58,467
Hourly rate	$32.77	$28.11
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	14,872	283
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Criminalist vs crime scene specialist salary

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

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Specialist
Average salary	$68,152	$58,467
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $127,000	Between $36,000 And $92,000
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 specialist education

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

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Chemistry	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Bakersfield

Criminalist vs crime scene specialist demographics

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

	Criminalist	Crime Scene Specialist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between criminalist and crime scene specialist 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 specialist example responsibilities.

Manage customer information in customer management systems CIV.
Collect evidence using various collection and detection methods including photography, ALS and chemical processing.
Serve as firstresponder for accidents and disasters, applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life- saving procedures as needed.

Criminalist vs crime scene specialist 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 specialist skills

Physical Evidence, 46%
Evidence Collection, 13%
Patrol, 12%
Latent Prints, 5%
Diagramming, 5%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 4%

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Criminalist vs Crime Scene Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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