Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other
Median $62,280
Occupation · SOC 19-4092
Forensic Science Technicians: pay and where the jobs are
What forensic science technicians earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$72,060 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $79,200
- Median hourly wage
- $34.65
- Mean hourly wage
- $38.08
- Employment
- 19,120
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-4092.
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How much do forensic science technicians make?
The median annual wage for forensic science technicians was $72,060 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,250 and the highest-paid 10% more than $117,250. As an hourly rate, the median is $34.65. About 19,120 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Illinois ($124,790), California ($102,100) and Connecticut ($85,910). Illinois also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for forensic science technicians looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,250 | $23.20 | $4,021 | $3,412 |
| 25th percentile | $57,830 | $27.81 | $4,819 | $4,054 |
| Median | $72,060 | $34.65 | $6,005 | $4,960 |
| 75th percentile | $94,520 | $45.44 | $7,877 | $6,277 |
| 90th percentile | $117,250 | $56.37 | $9,771 | $7,610 |
Forensic Science Technicians: pay by state
41 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$90,566 take-home in national prices
2
$66,960 take-home in national prices
3
$66,907 take-home in national prices
Where a median forensic science technician paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 370 | $124,790 | $65,780 | $148,790 | $90,528 | $90,566 |
| California | 2,800 | $102,100 | $64,650 | $148,090 | $74,080 | $66,907 |
| Connecticut | 120 | $85,910 | $41,500 | $111,560 | $64,863 | $62,603 |
| Colorado | 510 | $84,010 | $63,080 | $114,100 | $64,573 | $62,661 |
| Montana | 60 | $82,200 | $55,640 | $104,410 | $63,374 | $66,960 |
| Maryland | 460 | $82,140 | $59,730 | $130,000 | $63,080 | $60,100 |
| New York | 1,140 | $81,670 | $63,970 | $105,920 | $62,088 | $57,531 |
| Washington | 390 | $81,310 | $61,290 | $108,300 | $64,904 | $60,650 |
| Nevada | 360 | $81,090 | $58,120 | $135,490 | $65,877 | $65,891 |
| Oregon | 110 | $80,950 | $58,210 | $135,010 | $59,812 | $57,867 |
| Massachusetts | 290 | $79,320 | $64,520 | $120,000 | $60,521 | $57,226 |
| Minnesota | 140 | $76,960 | $58,660 | $107,170 | $58,923 | $59,747 |
| Vermont | 30 | $74,110 | $58,480 | $98,880 | $58,579 | $59,800 |
| Wisconsin | 310 | $72,280 | $53,840 | $100,640 | $56,897 | $60,468 |
| Idaho | 160 | $71,160 | $50,040 | $117,430 | $56,228 | $58,881 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $71,090 | $59,170 | $102,160 | $58,715 | $66,002 |
| Maine | 40 | $70,870 | $44,260 | $84,050 | $55,227 | $56,905 |
| Tennessee | 300 | $70,500 | $47,730 | $120,140 | $58,427 | $63,597 |
| Virginia | 770 | $68,900 | $49,390 | $125,740 | $54,154 | $53,562 |
| Iowa | 130 | $67,060 | $35,960 | $100,130 | $54,110 | $61,656 |
| Utah | 220 | $66,780 | $48,410 | $94,490 | $53,173 | $53,784 |
| Indiana | 320 | $66,520 | $49,990 | $92,450 | $53,694 | $57,532 |
| Oklahoma | 110 | $65,940 | $43,990 | $99,980 | $52,741 | $60,040 |
| Nebraska | 150 | $65,920 | $46,500 | $81,850 | $53,027 | $58,851 |
| New Mexico | 200 | $65,570 | $47,120 | $103,270 | $52,949 | $57,421 |
| Florida | 1,920 | $64,140 | $44,280 | $93,870 | $53,716 | $51,943 |
| Georgia | 550 | $63,600 | $46,490 | $89,600 | $50,857 | $52,815 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $63,330 | $41,990 | $83,950 | $51,054 | $57,046 |
| Arizona | 900 | $63,250 | $49,110 | $109,850 | $51,814 | $51,465 |
| New Jersey | 60 | $63,220 | $45,550 | $84,030 | $50,576 | $46,483 |
| Missouri | 350 | $62,750 | $45,940 | $92,350 | $50,588 | $55,703 |
| Pennsylvania | 360 | $61,580 | $47,740 | $94,520 | $49,726 | $50,963 |
| Kentucky | 60 | $61,470 | $48,470 | $74,710 | $49,537 | $54,944 |
| Texas | 1,900 | $59,870 | $42,430 | $82,640 | $50,286 | $51,810 |
| Alabama | 160 | $59,560 | $39,300 | $88,510 | $47,547 | $53,530 |
| North Carolina | 520 | $59,240 | $45,950 | $81,760 | $47,924 | $50,807 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $52,850 | $36,820 | $84,260 | $43,263 | $49,754 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $52,100 | $41,600 | $79,610 | $44,042 | $47,515 |
| South Carolina | 160 | $51,830 | $39,990 | $73,490 | $42,704 | $45,552 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $51,690 | $26,450 | $72,510 | $43,713 | $49,345 |
| Arkansas | 100 | $44,670 | $38,470 | $66,440 | $36,907 | $42,453 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-4092. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.