Forensic Science Technician Salary

Getting The Highest Forensic Science Technician Salary

As with any job you might have, a forensic science technician salary will vary based on a variety of factors. The forensic science technician pay rate of someone who has just graduated will be less than that of someone who has a lot of experience, and the forensic science technician wages of someone in one part of the country or with one type of employer will be different than that of a technician in another part of the country with another type of employer.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median forensic science technician salary in the United States is $24.19 per hour or $50,310 per year. The majority of technicians make between $36,560 and $61,210 per year.

The industries with the highest level of employment for forensic science technician are local government and state government, and these are the 4th and 5th top paying industries for this position. The annual mean forensic science technician salary of someone working for the local government is $51,160, and that of someone working for the state government is $49,730. The industry that pays the most is the Federal Executive Branch, where the mean annual forensic science technician salary is $83,970.

The states with the highest concentrations of forensic science technicians pay much lower than the top paying states for this career. In the states with the highest concentrations (Arizona, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and Kansas) the annual mean forensic science technician salary is between $37,690 and $62,430. This is a good deal less than the top paying states (Connecticut, Kansas, California, Virginia, and New York), where the annual mean forensic science technician salary is between $58,030 and $86,360. It definitely pays to work in Connecticut!

The same is true with metropolitan areas. The metropolitan areas with the most forensic science technicians have lower salaries (between $34,670 and $39,840). The highest paying metropolitan areas have mean annual forensic science technician salaries of between $65,850 and $70,290, with the Boston metropolitan area having the highest salary and the Los Angeles metropolitan area a close second.

Obviously those with more education and more experience get higher salaries than those with less education and experience. I would assume certifications would also tend to increase salaries, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not show these statistics on their website.

Besides increasing your educational level and gaining experience and certifications, if you want to make a higher forensic science technician salary you should try to get a job with the federal, local, or state government in areas where the concentration of forensic science technicians is lower. Check with the labor statistics to find out which areas pay the most for this career and try to find a job there to get higher salaries.

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