Forensic specialist vs forensic document examiner

The differences between forensic specialists and forensic document 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 specialist and a forensic document examiner. Additionally, a forensic document examiner has an average salary of $56,007, 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 forensic document examiner are customer service, , and .

Forensic specialist vs forensic document examiner overview

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Document Examiner
Yearly salary	$51,653	$56,007
Hourly rate	$24.83	$26.93
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	1,338	5,304
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic specialist vs forensic document examiner salary

Forensic specialists and forensic document examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Document Examiner
Average salary	$51,653	$56,007
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $79,000	Between $28,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Santa Monica, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	QED Group	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between forensic specialist and forensic document examiner education

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

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Document Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Forensic specialist vs forensic document examiner demographics

Here are the differences between forensic specialists' and forensic document examiners' demographics:

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Document Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 11.4% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between forensic specialist and forensic document examiner 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.

Forensic document examiner example responsibilities.

Examine evidence hard drives and other media devices with FTK following chain-of-custody procedures for manual processing procedures.
Bob provide computer expertise for DOD criminal, fraud, and counterintelligence investigations and analyzing all computer evidence.

Forensic specialist vs forensic document examiner skills

Common forensic specialist skills

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

Common forensic document examiner skills

Customer Service, 100%

Forensic Specialist vs. similar jobs

Forensic Specialist related careers

Forensic Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Forensic Specialist
Forensic Specialist vs Forensic Document Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs