Forensic investigator vs dna analyst

The differences between forensic investigators 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 forensic investigator and a dna analyst. Additionally, a dna analyst has an average salary of $55,294, 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 dna analyst are extraction, dna analysis, and lab equipment.

Forensic investigator vs dna analyst overview

	Forensic Investigator	DNA Analyst
Yearly salary	$52,267	$55,294
Hourly rate	$25.13	$26.58
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,032	12,410
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic investigator vs dna analyst salary

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

	Forensic Investigator	DNA Analyst
Average salary	$52,267	$55,294
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $98,000	Between $37,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	-	Dover, DE
Highest paying state	-	Mississippi
Best paying company	-	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between forensic investigator and dna analyst education

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

	Forensic Investigator	DNA Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Stanford University

Forensic investigator vs dna analyst demographics

Here are the differences between forensic investigators' and dna analysts' demographics:

	Forensic Investigator	DNA Analyst
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
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, 9.4% 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 forensic investigator and dna analyst 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.

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.

Forensic investigator vs dna analyst skills

Common forensic investigator skills

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

Common dna analyst skills

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

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Forensic Investigator vs DNA Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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