Forensic specialist vs forensic science examiner

The differences between forensic specialists and forensic science 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 science examiner. Additionally, a forensic science examiner has an average salary of $55,410, which is higher than the $51,653 average annual salary of a forensic specialist.

Forensic specialist vs forensic science examiner overview

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Science Examiner
Yearly salary	$51,653	$55,410
Hourly rate	$24.83	$26.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	1,338	7,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic specialist vs forensic science examiner salary

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

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Science Examiner
Average salary	$51,653	$55,410
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $79,000	Between $26,000 And $116,000
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 science examiner education

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

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Science Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Forensic specialist vs forensic science examiner demographics

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

	Forensic Specialist	Forensic Science Examiner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
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 science 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 science examiner example responsibilities.

Examine firearms for the presence of blood and touch DNA.
Examine evidence hard drives and other media devices with FTK following chain-of-custody procedures for manual processing procedures.
Direct employees in the unit to switch among functions depending on the work counts within the IAFIS.

Forensic specialist vs forensic science 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 science examiner skills

Forensic Specialist vs. similar jobs

Forensic Specialist related careers

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Forensic Specialist vs Forensic Science Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

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