Forensic investigator vs forensic toxicologist

The differences between forensic investigators and forensic toxicologists 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 forensic toxicologist. Additionally, a forensic toxicologist has an average salary of $70,179, 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 forensic toxicologist are ms, laboratory equipment, and GC.

Forensic investigator vs forensic toxicologist overview

	Forensic Investigator	Forensic Toxicologist
Yearly salary	$52,267	$70,179
Hourly rate	$25.13	$33.74
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,032	807
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic investigator vs forensic toxicologist salary

Forensic investigators and forensic toxicologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Investigator	Forensic Toxicologist
Average salary	$52,267	$70,179
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $98,000	Between $39,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between forensic investigator and forensic toxicologist education

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

	Forensic Investigator	Forensic Toxicologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Chemistry
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Forensic investigator vs forensic toxicologist demographics

Here are the differences between forensic investigators' and forensic toxicologists' demographics:

	Forensic Investigator	Forensic Toxicologist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between forensic investigator and forensic toxicologist 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.

Forensic toxicologist example responsibilities.

Perform Headspace GC analysis for presence and concentration determination of alcohols and other volatile substances in biological samples.
Used laboratory information management system (LIMS) to track casework and release results.
SOP's have to be constantly update and follow to detail to prepare the samples accurately before extraction.
Prepare samples for analysis through extraction of control substances from biological matrices.
Duplicate VHS tapes and various other types of media to DVD.
Perform confirmatory semen testing (p30 ELISA and microscopic slide searches for spermatozoa) on casework samples.

Forensic investigator vs forensic toxicologist skills

Common forensic investigator skills

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

Common forensic toxicologist skills

Ms, 23%
Laboratory Equipment, 13%
GC, 10%
LC, 9%
Sops, 7%
Immunoassay, 7%

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Forensic Investigator
Forensic Investigator vs Forensic Toxicologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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