Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016
19-4092 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.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 14,800 |
1.7 % |
$29.18 |
$60,690 |
1.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$16.28 |
$20.54 |
$27.29 |
$35.68 |
$46.83 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$33,860 |
$42,710 |
$56,750 |
$74,220 |
$97,400 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
140 |
0.01 |
$48.88 |
$101,670 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
(8) |
(8) |
$35.66 |
$74,160 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
150 |
0.02 |
$31.59 |
$65,710 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
330 |
0.02 |
$31.02 |
$64,520 |
| Local Government (OES Designation) |
8,580 |
0.16 |
$29.36 |
$61,080 |
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,040 |
0.13 |
1.21 |
$38.53 |
$80,150 |
| Florida |
1,480 |
0.18 |
1.71 |
$22.95 |
$47,740 |
| Texas |
1,030 |
0.09 |
0.83 |
$24.85 |
$51,700 |
| Arizona |
760 |
0.29 |
2.70 |
$27.17 |
$56,520 |
| New York |
720 |
0.08 |
0.75 |
$32.06 |
$66,690 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Arizona |
760 |
0.29 |
2.70 |
$27.17 |
$56,520 |
| Kansas |
320 |
0.24 |
2.23 |
$23.04 |
$47,930 |
| West Virginia |
130 |
0.19 |
1.80 |
$28.00 |
$58,240 |
| Virginia |
660 |
0.18 |
1.67 |
$33.32 |
$69,310 |
| Nevada |
230 |
0.18 |
1.70 |
$35.81 |
$74,480 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,040 |
0.13 |
1.21 |
$38.53 |
$80,150 |
| Nevada |
230 |
0.18 |
1.70 |
$35.81 |
$74,480 |
| Connecticut |
110 |
0.07 |
0.62 |
$35.80 |
$74,470 |
| New Hampshire |
30 |
0.05 |
0.49 |
$34.46 |
$71,690 |
| Virginia |
660 |
0.18 |
1.67 |
$33.32 |
$69,310 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division |
690 |
0.16 |
1.56 |
$43.95 |
$91,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
630 |
0.25 |
2.42 |
$37.76 |
$78,540 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
570 |
0.29 |
2.80 |
$27.96 |
$58,150 |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
470 |
0.07 |
0.68 |
$32.29 |
$67,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division |
410 |
0.11 |
1.07 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
370 |
0.14 |
1.37 |
$23.61 |
$49,110 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
310 |
0.25 |
2.36 |
$24.98 |
$51,970 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS |
280 |
0.27 |
2.53 |
$21.14 |
$43,970 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL |
270 |
0.23 |
2.16 |
$21.18 |
$44,060 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
260 |
0.28 |
2.68 |
$22.66 |
$47,130 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Jefferson City, MO |
80 |
1.14 |
10.83 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Tallahassee, FL |
150 |
0.93 |
8.83 |
$19.79 |
$41,170 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
40 |
0.64 |
6.08 |
$28.44 |
$59,140 |
| Springfield, IL |
60 |
0.55 |
5.22 |
$41.06 |
$85,410 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL |
90 |
0.55 |
5.23 |
$20.16 |
$41,930 |
| Missoula, MT |
30 |
0.52 |
4.93 |
$30.48 |
$63,400 |
| Topeka, KS |
50 |
0.42 |
3.99 |
$27.89 |
$58,000 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR |
130 |
0.38 |
3.62 |
$19.24 |
$40,020 |
| Jackson, MS |
80 |
0.31 |
2.95 |
$25.67 |
$53,400 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
570 |
0.29 |
2.80 |
$27.96 |
$58,150 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
80 |
0.09 |
0.86 |
$45.04 |
$93,690 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division |
690 |
0.16 |
1.56 |
$43.95 |
$91,420 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
60 |
0.21 |
1.96 |
$43.77 |
$91,040 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
70 |
0.07 |
0.66 |
$41.71 |
$86,770 |
| Springfield, IL |
60 |
0.55 |
5.22 |
$41.06 |
$85,410 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division |
240 |
0.16 |
1.48 |
$40.24 |
$83,700 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
630 |
0.25 |
2.42 |
$37.76 |
$78,540 |
| Reno, NV |
30 |
0.14 |
1.36 |
$37.23 |
$77,440 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
100 |
0.09 |
0.88 |
$37.12 |
$77,210 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
130 |
0.09 |
0.86 |
$36.28 |
$75,450 |
About May 2016 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OES estimates and related information:
May 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017
United States Department of Labor
