Forensic Science Technicians
Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine significance to investigation. May testify as expert witnesses on evidence or crime laboratory techniques. May serve as specialists in area of expertise, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, or biochemistry.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-4092.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$72,060
Employment, U.S.19,120
Median hourly wage$34.65
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $48,250 | $57,830 | $72,060 | $94,520 | $117,250 |
By state (44)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 160 | $59,560 | 0.61 |
| Arizona | 900 | $63,250 | 2.25 |
| Arkansas | 100 | $44,670 | 0.65 |
| California | 2,800 | $102,100 | 1.25 |
| Colorado | 510 | $84,010 | 1.46 |
| Connecticut | 120 | $85,910 | 0.59 |
| Florida | 1,920 | $64,140 | 1.57 |
| Georgia | 550 | $63,600 | 0.92 |
| Idaho | 160 | $71,160 | 1.51 |
| Illinois | 370 | $124,790 | 0.49 |
| Indiana | 320 | $66,520 | 0.81 |
| Iowa | 130 | $67,060 | 0.66 |
| Kentucky | 60 | $61,470 | 0.25 |
| Louisiana | 240 | Not available | 0.99 |
| Maine | 40 | $70,870 | 0.46 |
| Maryland | 460 | $82,140 | 1.36 |
| Massachusetts | 290 | $79,320 | 0.65 |
| Michigan | 650 | Not available | 1.21 |
| Minnesota | 140 | $76,960 | 0.37 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $52,850 | 0.99 |
| Missouri | 350 | $62,750 | 0.96 |
| Montana | 60 | $82,200 | 0.95 |
| Nebraska | 150 | $65,920 | 1.16 |
| Nevada | 360 | $81,090 | 1.91 |
| New Jersey | 60 | $63,220 | 0.11 |
| New Mexico | 200 | $65,570 | 1.84 |
| New York | 1,140 | $81,670 | 0.96 |
| North Carolina | 520 | $59,240 | 0.86 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $71,090 | 0.67 |
| Ohio | 470 | Not available | 0.69 |
| Oklahoma | 110 | $65,940 | 0.50 |
| Oregon | 110 | $80,950 | 0.44 |
| Pennsylvania | 360 | $61,580 | 0.49 |
| South Carolina | 160 | $51,830 | 0.56 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $51,690 | 0.58 |
| Tennessee | 300 | $70,500 | 0.73 |
| Texas | 1,900 | $59,870 | 1.10 |
| Utah | 220 | $66,780 | 1.03 |
| Vermont | 30 | $74,110 | 0.87 |
| Virginia | 770 | $68,900 | 1.52 |
| Washington | 390 | $81,310 | 0.89 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $63,330 | 1.23 |
| Wisconsin | 310 | $72,280 | 0.85 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $52,100 | 2.51 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 3 | 0.975 |
| 2 | Environmental Compliance Inspectors | 4 | 0.972 |
| 3 | Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 4 | 0.968 |
| 4 | Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | 3 | 0.957 |
| 5 | Agricultural Inspectors | 1-2 | 0.954 |
| 6 | Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 4 | 0.950 |
| 7 | Microbiologists | 4 | 0.947 |
| 8 | Histotechnologists | 4 | 0.946 |
| 9 | Cytogenetic Technologists | 4 | 0.944 |
| 10 | Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 3 | 0.943 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Forensic Science Technicians, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | Operations Monitoring | 1.00 | 0.957 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.943 |
| Chemical Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 0.88 | 0.936 |
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.931 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Forensic Science Technicians, excluding software Forensic Science Technicians already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Database software | 11 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Geomechanical design analysis GDA software | 4 of 20 | 13.2x |
| Statistical software | 5 of 20 | 5.8x |
| MEDITECH software | 5 of 20 | 3.0x |
| ESRI ArcGIS software | 5 of 20 | 2.5x |
| Geographic information system GIS systems | 4 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Geographic information system GIS software | 4 of 20 | 2.6x |
| ESRI ArcView | 3 of 20 | 3.5x |
| Bentley MicroStation | 3 of 20 | 2.9x |
| Adobe Acrobat | 5 of 20 | 1.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.38 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Law and Government | 4.47 | 3.87 |
| Public Safety and Security | 4.17 | 3.65 |
| Education and Training | 3.73 | 4.08 |
| English Language | 3.60 | 3.51 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.40 | 4.21 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.31 | 3.68 |
| Administration and Management | 3.18 | 3.17 |
| Chemistry | 3.12 | 3.98 |
| Administrative | 3.10 | 3.54 |
| Biology | 3.01 | 3.31 |
| Telecommunications | 2.66 | 2.12 |
| Physics | 2.64 | 2.53 |
| Mathematics | 2.54 | 3.02 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.45 | 2.24 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.41 | 1.94 |
| Psychology | 2.29 | 2.34 |
| Communications and Media | 2.25 | 2.34 |
| Production and Processing | 2.21 | 2.02 |
| Geography | 2.21 | 1.27 |
| Transportation | 2.02 | 1.74 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.02 | 1.66 |
| Mechanical | 1.96 | 1.76 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.95 | 1.91 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.67 | 1.16 |
| Design | 1.59 | 1.48 |
| History and Archeology | 1.44 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.29 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.23 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.21 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.13 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.09 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.04 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Originality | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Control Precision | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Depth Perception | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Number Facility | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Static Strength | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Rate Control | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Reaction Time | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Night Vision | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Sound Localization | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Guidance Software EnCase Enterprise in demand
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Linux hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Automated Biometric Identification System ABIS
- Combined DNA Index System CODIS
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- DM2 Bills of Lading
- DataWorks Plus Digital CrimeScene
- DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
- Eos Systems PhotoModeler
- Graphics software
- IBM Notes
- Image enhancement software
- Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS
- Laboratory information management system LIMS
- Mideo Systems EZDoc Plus
- Midwest Information Systems PAX-it
- National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database
- National Integrated Ballistics Information Network NIBIN
- SmartDraw Legal
- The CAD Zone The Crime Zone
- Trancite Logic Systems ScenePD
All 32
- Visual Statement Vista FX3 CSI
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tallahassee, FL | 120 | 5.21 | $55,620 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 110 | 3.94 | $88,670 |
| Tucson, AZ | 160 | 3.31 | $61,380 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 170 | 3.13 | $87,020 |
| Boise City, ID | 110 | 2.31 | $75,460 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 360 | 2.26 | $70,130 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 380 | 2.14 | $65,230 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 620 | 2.11 | $65,220 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 100 | 1.95 | $65,240 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 300 | 1.81 | $81,780 |