Occupations · Life, Physical, and Social Science
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 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 19-4092.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 61% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $98,110 | 1,210 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $57,950 | 850 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $78,170 | 790 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $80,300 | 640 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $55,380 | 620 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $62,420 | 600 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $74,190 | 500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $103,930 | 410 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $67,440 | 380 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $60,870 | 370 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $58,120 | 340 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $58,590 | 320 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
- Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
- Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes.
- Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings.
- Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases.
- Measure and sketch crime scenes to document evidence.
- Visit morgues, examine scenes of crimes, or contact other sources to obtain evidence or information to be used in investigations.
- Train new technicians or other personnel on forensic science techniques.
- Examine physical evidence, such as hair, biological fluids, fiber, wood, or soil residues to obtain information about its source and composition.
- Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
- Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints.
- Reconstruct crime scenes to determine relationships among pieces of evidence.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2023-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2023-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Enter data into databases.
- Operate drones to capture aerial footage or photographs of crime scenes for further analysis.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 2 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 10
No longer listed 5
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| criminal investigator | 3355.1 | close |
| police detective | 3355.2 | close |
| graphologist | 2643.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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