Forensic investigator vs crime scene specialist

The differences between forensic investigators 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 forensic investigator and a crime scene specialist. Additionally, a crime scene specialist has an average salary of $58,467, which is higher than the $52,267 average annual salary of a forensic investigator.

The top three skills for a forensic investigator include incident response, windows and FTK. The most important skills for a crime scene specialist are physical evidence, evidence collection, and patrol.

Forensic investigator vs crime scene specialist overview

	Forensic Investigator	Crime Scene Specialist
Yearly salary	$52,267	$58,467
Hourly rate	$25.13	$28.11
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,032	283
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic investigator vs crime scene specialist salary

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

	Forensic Investigator	Crime Scene Specialist
Average salary	$52,267	$58,467
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $98,000	Between $36,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between forensic investigator and crime scene specialist education

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

	Forensic Investigator	Crime Scene Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Bakersfield

Forensic investigator vs crime scene specialist demographics

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

	Forensic Investigator	Crime Scene Specialist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 forensic investigator and crime scene specialist duties and responsibilities

Forensic investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Prepare investigative reports, scientific forensic analysis reports and other documents in support of civil litigation.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Prepare affidavits of information and apply for investigative or grand jury subpoenas and other legal orders necessary for a thorough investigation.
Present to schools, community organizations, and local corporations prevention techniques in a PowerPoint format.
Evaluate impressions for AFIS (automate fingerprint identification system) potential.

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.

Forensic investigator vs crime scene specialist skills

Common forensic investigator skills

Incident Response, 17%
Windows, 12%
FTK, 11%
Litigation, 8%
Physical Evidence, 6%
Digital Evidence, 5%

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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Forensic Investigator vs Crime Scene Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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