Criminalist vs forensic science examiner

The differences between criminalists and forensic science examiners 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 forensic science examiner. Additionally, a criminalist has an average salary of $68,152, which is higher than the $55,410 average annual salary of a forensic science examiner.

Criminalist vs forensic science examiner overview

	Criminalist	Forensic Science Examiner
Yearly salary	$68,152	$55,410
Hourly rate	$32.77	$26.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	14,872	7,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Criminalist vs forensic science examiner salary

Criminalists and forensic science examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Criminalist	Forensic Science Examiner
Average salary	$68,152	$55,410
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $127,000	Between $26,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	City of Los Angeles	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between criminalist and forensic science examiner education

There are a few differences between a criminalist and a forensic science examiner in terms of educational background:

	Criminalist	Forensic Science Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Chemistry	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Criminalist vs forensic science examiner demographics

Here are the differences between criminalists' and forensic science examiners' demographics:

	Criminalist	Forensic Science Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
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 forensic science examiner 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.

Forensic science examiner example responsibilities.

Examine firearms for the presence of blood and touch DNA.
Examine evidence hard drives and other media devices with FTK following chain-of-custody procedures for manual processing procedures.
Direct employees in the unit to switch among functions depending on the work counts within the IAFIS.

Criminalist vs forensic science examiner skills

Common criminalist skills

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

Common forensic science examiner skills

Criminalist vs. similar jobs

Criminalist related careers

Criminalist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Criminalist
Criminalist vs Forensic Science Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs