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The differences between forensic scientists and scientists 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 scientist and a scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $71,351 average annual salary of a forensic scientist.
The top three skills for a forensic scientist include laboratory equipment, physical evidence and analytical procedures. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Forensic Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,351 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $34.30 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 43,335 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Forensic scientists work as experts in collecting evidence, analyzing evidence collected at crime scenes, and communicating with law enforcement. They can work as a lab manager and detective. They are responsible for ensuring that tests are performed correctly and ethically without any bias. They obtain evidence at the crime scene, making reports of the findings, examining the evidence in the lab if the evidence collected is relevant or not, and testifying in court. They report to superiors the findings of the analysis.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Forensic scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forensic Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $71,351 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $112,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lincoln, NE | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Alere | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a forensic scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Forensic Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between forensic scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Forensic Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |