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The differences between detectives and forensic scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a forensic scientist has an average salary of $71,351, which is higher than the $57,984 average annual salary of a detective.
The top three skills for a detective include physical evidence, patrol and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a forensic scientist are laboratory equipment, physical evidence, and analytical procedures.
| Detective | Forensic Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,984 | $71,351 |
| Hourly rate | $27.88 | $34.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 56,521 | 43,335 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Forensic scientists work as experts in collecting evidence, analyzing evidence collected at crime scenes, and communicating with law enforcement. They can work as a lab manager and detective. They are responsible for ensuring that tests are performed correctly and ethically without any bias. They obtain evidence at the crime scene, making reports of the findings, examining the evidence in the lab if the evidence collected is relevant or not, and testifying in court. They report to superiors the findings of the analysis.
Detectives and forensic scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Detective | Forensic Scientist | |
| Average salary | $57,984 | $71,351 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $95,000 | Between $45,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Lincoln, NE |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Alere |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a detective and a forensic scientist in terms of educational background:
| Detective | Forensic Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Arizona | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between detectives' and forensic scientists' demographics:
| Detective | Forensic Scientist | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |