Criminalist vs dna analyst

The differences between criminalists and dna 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 dna analyst. Additionally, a criminalist has an average salary of $68,152, which is higher than the $55,294 average annual salary of a dna analyst.

The top three skills for a criminalist include physical evidence, laboratory reports and body fluids. The most important skills for a dna analyst are extraction, dna analysis, and lab equipment.

Criminalist vs dna analyst overview

	Criminalist	DNA Analyst
Yearly salary	$68,152	$55,294
Hourly rate	$32.77	$26.58
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	14,872	12,410
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Criminalist vs dna analyst salary

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

	Criminalist	DNA Analyst
Average salary	$68,152	$55,294
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $127,000	Between $37,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	Dover, DE
Highest paying state	Alaska	Mississippi
Best paying company	City of Los Angeles	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between criminalist and dna analyst education

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

	Criminalist	DNA Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Criminalist vs dna analyst demographics

Here are the differences between criminalists' and dna analysts' demographics:

	Criminalist	DNA Analyst
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between criminalist and dna 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.

Dna analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure CODIS sample preparation and organic extraction of DNA daily metrics are achieved and maintain.
Address CODIS software and network issues throughout Wisconsin.
Monitor quality of reagents in a LIMS tracking system.
Process convict offender DNA profiles for entry into CODIS.
Collect data from the capillary electrophoresis machine and interpret the ladders, controls and data for each sample.
Train to use standard operating procedures and policy and procedure to analyze capillary electrophoresis data for several different clients.

Criminalist vs dna analyst skills

Common criminalist skills

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

Common dna analyst skills

Extraction, 10%
DNA Analysis, 10%
Lab Equipment, 8%
Proficiency Testing, 8%
Lims, 7%
ABI, 7%

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Criminalist vs DNA Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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