Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
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 Forensic Science Technicians
Industry profile for Forensic Science Technicians
Geographic profile for Forensic Science Technicians
National estimates for Forensic Science Technicians:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Forensic Science Technicians:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 16,640 |
1.5 % |
$ 31.20 |
$ 64,890 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Forensic Science Technicians:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 17.61 |
$ 22.33 |
$ 29.13 |
$ 38.14 |
$ 48.51 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 36,630 |
$ 46,460 |
$ 60,590 |
$ 79,330 |
$ 100,910 |
Industry profile for Forensic Science Technicians:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Forensic Science Technicians are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Forensic Science Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Forensic Science Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
9,970 |
0.18 |
$ 31.65 |
$ 65,840 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
4,630 |
0.21 |
$ 31.14 |
$ 64,770 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
550 |
0.04 |
$ 31.75 |
$ 66,040 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
510 |
0.19 |
$ 22.63 |
$ 47,060 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
230 |
0.01 |
$ 24.84 |
$ 51,660 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Forensic Science Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
4,630 |
0.21 |
$ 31.14 |
$ 64,770 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
510 |
0.19 |
$ 22.63 |
$ 47,060 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
9,970 |
0.18 |
$ 31.65 |
$ 65,840 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
550 |
0.04 |
$ 31.75 |
$ 66,040 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
230 |
0.01 |
$ 24.84 |
$ 51,660 |
Top paying industries for Forensic Science Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
110 |
0.01 |
$ 58.07 |
$ 120,790 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
70 |
(7) |
$ 36.40 |
$ 75,720 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
550 |
0.04 |
$ 31.75 |
$ 66,040 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
9,970 |
0.18 |
$ 31.65 |
$ 65,840 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
4,630 |
0.21 |
$ 31.14 |
$ 64,770 |
Geographic profile for Forensic Science Technicians:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Forensic Science Technicians are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Forensic Science Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Forensic Science Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,270 |
0.14 |
1.16 |
$ 42.35 |
$ 88,090 |
| Florida |
1,730 |
0.20 |
1.71 |
$ 26.23 |
$ 54,570 |
| Texas |
1,580 |
0.13 |
1.09 |
$ 29.39 |
$ 61,120 |
| New York |
910 |
0.10 |
0.87 |
$ 33.05 |
$ 68,750 |
| Arizona |
680 |
0.24 |
2.01 |
$ 30.35 |
$ 63,130 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Forensic Science Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
390 |
0.31 |
2.61 |
$ 31.82 |
$ 66,180 |
| Kansas |
410 |
0.31 |
2.55 |
$ 24.93 |
$ 51,850 |
| New Mexico |
220 |
0.28 |
2.37 |
$ 21.27 |
$ 44,250 |
| Arizona |
680 |
0.24 |
2.01 |
$ 30.35 |
$ 63,130 |
| Florida |
1,730 |
0.20 |
1.71 |
$ 26.23 |
$ 54,570 |
Top paying states for Forensic Science Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,270 |
0.14 |
1.16 |
$ 42.35 |
$ 88,090 |
| Illinois |
490 |
0.09 |
0.73 |
$ 41.20 |
$ 85,690 |
| Massachusetts |
90 |
0.03 |
0.21 |
$ 38.08 |
$ 79,200 |
| Oregon |
250 |
0.14 |
1.16 |
$ 37.01 |
$ 76,970 |
| Alaska |
50 |
0.16 |
1.35 |
$ 35.63 |
$ 74,100 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Forensic Science Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,030 |
0.18 |
1.48 |
$ 45.22 |
$ 94,060 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
680 |
0.08 |
0.64 |
$ 33.30 |
$ 69,270 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
570 |
0.19 |
1.61 |
$ 35.74 |
$ 74,330 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
470 |
0.22 |
1.85 |
$ 31.24 |
$ 64,980 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
450 |
0.18 |
1.51 |
$ 31.32 |
$ 65,140 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
440 |
0.17 |
1.39 |
$ 24.45 |
$ 50,860 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
400 |
0.09 |
0.77 |
$ 39.72 |
$ 82,620 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
370 |
0.10 |
0.87 |
$ 29.31 |
$ 60,970 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
370 |
0.12 |
1.01 |
$ 43.15 |
$ 89,750 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
340 |
0.26 |
2.21 |
$ 26.70 |
$ 55,530 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Forensic Science Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Topeka, KS |
80 |
0.74 |
6.23 |
$ 30.08 |
$ 62,560 |
| Tallahassee, FL |
120 |
0.72 |
6.03 |
$ 23.38 |
$ 48,620 |
| Santa Fe, NM |
30 |
0.59 |
4.96 |
$ 32.40 |
$ 67,390 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI |
90 |
0.47 |
3.92 |
$ 33.39 |
$ 69,450 |
| Ocala, FL |
50 |
0.46 |
3.83 |
$ 23.36 |
$ 48,590 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL |
80 |
0.43 |
3.58 |
$ 24.17 |
$ 50,280 |
| Tucson, AZ |
160 |
0.43 |
3.56 |
$ 28.17 |
$ 58,600 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
160 |
0.42 |
3.52 |
$ 17.79 |
$ 37,010 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR |
140 |
0.42 |
3.50 |
$ 21.27 |
$ 44,250 |
| Reno, NV |
90 |
0.38 |
3.20 |
$ 32.35 |
$ 67,300 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Forensic Science Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
220 |
0.10 |
0.80 |
$ 51.14 |
$ 106,360 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
60 |
0.20 |
1.64 |
$ 46.04 |
$ 95,760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,030 |
0.18 |
1.48 |
$ 45.22 |
$ 94,060 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
370 |
0.12 |
1.01 |
$ 43.15 |
$ 89,750 |
| Toledo, OH |
40 |
0.14 |
1.16 |
$ 43.13 |
$ 89,710 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
110 |
0.12 |
0.97 |
$ 42.51 |
$ 88,420 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
60 |
0.02 |
0.20 |
$ 41.08 |
$ 85,450 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
60 |
0.05 |
0.43 |
$ 40.13 |
$ 83,460 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
400 |
0.09 |
0.77 |
$ 39.72 |
$ 82,620 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
160 |
0.11 |
0.94 |
$ 39.20 |
$ 81,530 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Forensic Science Technicians:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Forensic Science Technicians:
About May 2020 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.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
