Forensic ballistics expert vs forensic science examiner

The differences between forensic ballistics experts 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 forensic ballistics expert and a forensic science examiner. Additionally, a forensic ballistics expert has an average salary of $64,737, which is higher than the $55,410 average annual salary of a forensic science examiner.

Forensic ballistics expert vs forensic science examiner overview

	Forensic Ballistics Expert	Forensic Science Examiner
Yearly salary	$64,737	$55,410
Hourly rate	$31.12	$26.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	8,905	7,275
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic ballistics expert vs forensic science examiner salary

Forensic ballistics experts and forensic science examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Ballistics Expert	Forensic Science Examiner
Average salary	$64,737	$55,410
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $116,000	Between $26,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between forensic ballistics expert and forensic science examiner education

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

	Forensic Ballistics Expert	Forensic Science Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Pennsylvania

Forensic ballistics expert vs forensic science examiner demographics

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

	Forensic Ballistics Expert	Forensic Science Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
Race ratio	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%	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 forensic ballistics expert and forensic science examiner duties and responsibilities

Forensic ballistics expert example responsibilities.

Manage use and maintenance of company vehicle, surveying equip., cameras, and firearms.
Provide computer forensics, litigation and regulatory support, including expert testimony.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Perform function tests on submit firearms and collect standards for microscopic comparisons.

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.

Forensic ballistics expert vs forensic science examiner skills

Common forensic ballistics expert skills

Litigation, 42%
Cyber Security, 23%
Encase, 15%
E-Discovery, 13%
Security Practices, 7%

Common forensic science examiner skills

Forensic Ballistics Expert vs. similar jobs

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Forensic Ballistics Expert
Forensic Ballistics Expert vs Forensic Science Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

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