Forensic investigator vs latent fingerprint examiner

The differences between forensic investigators and latent fingerprint 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 investigator and a latent fingerprint examiner. Additionally, a forensic investigator has an average salary of $52,267, which is higher than the $46,980 average annual salary of a latent fingerprint examiner.

The top three skills for a forensic investigator include incident response, windows and FTK. The most important skills for a latent fingerprint examiner are law enforcement agencies, afis, and identification system.

Forensic investigator vs latent fingerprint examiner overview

	Forensic Investigator	Latent Fingerprint Examiner
Yearly salary	$52,267	$46,980
Hourly rate	$25.13	$22.59
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,032	2,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic investigator vs latent fingerprint examiner salary

Forensic investigators and latent fingerprint examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Investigator	Latent Fingerprint Examiner
Average salary	$52,267	$46,980
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $98,000	Between $23,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between forensic investigator and latent fingerprint examiner education

There are a few differences between a forensic investigator and a latent fingerprint examiner in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Investigator	Latent Fingerprint Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Stanford University

Forensic investigator vs latent fingerprint examiner demographics

Here are the differences between forensic investigators' and latent fingerprint examiners' demographics:

	Forensic Investigator	Latent Fingerprint Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 10.0% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between forensic investigator and latent fingerprint examiner 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.

Latent fingerprint examiner example responsibilities.

Bob provide computer expertise for DOD criminal, fraud, and counterintelligence investigations and analyzing all computer evidence.
Process weapons and improvise explosive devices (IEDs) for fingerprints and DNA for a laboratory in Afghanistan.
Conduct manual latent to latent and latent to known comparisons in order to determine maker of IED evidence and establish patterns.
Water and mold restoration including demolition, moisture and humidity readings.
Review and screen results for face and iris searches in the DoD ABIS.
Conduct testing of an upgrade ABIS system by documenting and reporting issues with developers.

Forensic investigator vs latent fingerprint examiner skills

Common forensic investigator skills

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

Common latent fingerprint examiner skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 18%
Afis, 13%
Identification System, 8%
Fingerprint Cards, 8%
Latent Prints, 7%
Criminal Justice, 6%

Forensic Investigator vs. similar jobs

Forensic Investigator related careers

Forensic Investigator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Forensic Investigator
Forensic Investigator vs Latent Fingerprint Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs