Forensic specialist vs criminalist

The differences between forensic specialists and criminalists 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 specialist and a criminalist. Additionally, a criminalist has an average salary of $68,152, which is higher than the $51,653 average annual salary of a forensic specialist.

The top three skills for a forensic specialist include social work, encase and criminal justice. The most important skills for a criminalist are physical evidence, laboratory reports, and body fluids.

Forensic specialist vs criminalist overview

	Forensic Specialist	Criminalist
Yearly salary	$51,653	$68,152
Hourly rate	$24.83	$32.77
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	1,338	14,872
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a forensic specialist do?

Forensic Specialists analyze and evaluate physical evidence using different analysis methods like chemical, instrumental, microscopic, and physical. They are sometimes required to work with blood and other biological fluids, hair, gunshot residue, etc. Forensic Specialist duties depend on their area of expertise. Some specialists spend their days in a lab; others spend their visiting crime scenes searching for evidence. No matter what specialization they're in, their core responsibilities are to collect, document, preserve, test, and report evidence that is then submitted to those in charge of the case.

What does a criminalist do?

A criminalist works in the forensic science or law enforcement field. Their duties depend upon the agency or place they work for, but they are often responsible for conducting crime investigations, studying crime scenes, gathering and examining evidence, processing evidence, and coordinating with investigators. They must also prepare and process documents, present detailed results and reports to investigators, and sometimes testify in court.

Forensic specialist vs criminalist salary

Forensic specialists and criminalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Specialist	Criminalist
Average salary	$51,653	$68,152
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $79,000	Between $36,000 And $127,000
Highest paying City	Santa Monica, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	QED Group	City of Los Angeles
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between forensic specialist and criminalist education

There are a few differences between a forensic specialist and a criminalist in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Specialist	Criminalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Chemistry
Most common college	Stanford University	California State University - Bakersfield

Forensic specialist vs criminalist demographics

Here are the differences between forensic specialists' and criminalists' demographics:

	Forensic Specialist	Criminalist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between forensic specialist and criminalist duties and responsibilities

Forensic specialist example responsibilities.

Manage use and maintenance of company vehicle, surveying equip., cameras, and firearms.
Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
Secure and track any DNA evidence submit for testing.
Examine evidence for the presence of biological material and collect potential DNA samples.
Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
Assess for risk of suicide, homicide, psychosis and other safety concerns.

Criminalist example responsibilities.

Perform bone processing and DNA extraction from human remains.
Perform restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and PCR analysis.
Perform preventive maintenance on GC instruments and maintain preventive maintenance records in binders and LIMS.
Analyze controlled and non-control drugs using FTIR, GC/MS, GC/FID, and HPLC methods.
Analyze samples for the presence or absence of control substances using GC-MS, FTIR, microscopy and other chemical tests.
Develop a computerize firearms inspection worksheet that provide a print inspection report and create a firearms database.

Forensic specialist vs criminalist skills

Common forensic specialist skills

Social Work, 10%
Encase, 8%
Criminal Justice, 8%
Mental Health, 6%
Digital Forensics, 5%
Forensic Interviews, 5%

Common criminalist skills

Physical Evidence, 18%
Laboratory Reports, 7%
Body Fluids, 7%
Quantitative Analysis, 5%
Perform DNA, 5%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

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Forensic Specialist
Forensic Specialist vs Criminalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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