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Forensic Science Technicians

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 19-4092.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$71,874

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+13.9%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Certificate

36.3% of the workforce

Employment
21.95K jobs

Growing to 25K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What forensic science technicians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
  • Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints.
  • Examine and analyze blood stain patterns at crime scenes.
  • Analyze gunshot residue and bullet paths to determine how shootings occurred.
  • Confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation.
  • Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work.
  • Examine footwear, tire tracks, or other types of impressions.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$47,611
25th percentile
$57,371
50th percentile
$71,874
75th percentile
$95,112
90th percentile
$120,650

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $71,874 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+13.9%faster than average
202521,946 jobs
2035 projected24,998 jobs

3,052 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Certificate
36.3%
Bachelor's degree
32.4%
High school diploma or less
29.3%
Master's or Professional degree
2.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Law Enforcement
  • Chain Of Custody
  • Digital Forensics
  • Data Analysis
  • Evidence Collection
  • Data Entry
  • Auditing
  • Forensic Sciences
  • Social Work
  • Computer Science
  • Biology
  • Crime Analysis
  • Statistics
  • Fingerprint Identification And Classification
  • Expert Witness
  • Office Equipment
  • Data Collection
  • Chemistry
  • Criminal Justice
  • Photography

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Firearms Specialists325 postings
  2. 02Crime Analysts317 postings
  3. 03Evidence Technicians244 postings
  4. 04Digital Forensics Analysts229 postings
  5. 05Forensic Nurse Examiners161 postings
  6. 06Crime Scene Technicians140 postings
  7. 07Subject Matter Experts131 postings
  8. 08Digital Forensic Examiners128 postings
  9. 09Crime Intelligence Analysts114 postings
  10. 10Criminal Justice Specialists110 postings
  11. 11Forensic Analysts110 postings
  12. 12Criminal Justice Technicians109 postings
  13. 13Forensic Technicians106 postings
  14. 14Criminal Intelligence Analysts104 postings
  15. 15Forensic Specialists99 postings
  16. 16Criminalists88 postings
  17. 17Criminal Analysts79 postings
  18. 18Evidence Specialists79 postings
  19. 19Investigators72 postings
  20. 20Crime Scene Specialists65 postings

Top employers

  1. 01CDM Smith108 postings
  2. 02Fleet Farm92 postings
  3. 03State of Florida73 postings
  4. 04Bass Pro Shops67 postings
  5. 05State of California67 postings
  6. 06State Of Alaska57 postings
  7. 07Cytel54 postings
  8. 08inVentiv Health51 postings
  9. 09Amentum48 postings
  10. 10Intervention Agency47 postings
  11. 11New York City43 postings
  12. 12State of Washington34 postings
  13. 13General Dynamics33 postings
  14. 14Dynamis32 postings
  15. 15Ernst & Young30 postings
  16. 16State of South Carolina28 postings
  17. 17Contact Government Services25 postings
  18. 18Peraton25 postings
  19. 19Three Saints Bay25 postings
  20. 20State of Michigan23 postings

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