Crime Scene Investigator/Technician Salary

Wage Rate	Low (<10%)	Median (50%)	High (>90%)
Hourly Wage	$15.70	$26.60	$34.00
Annual Wage	$32,600	$54,370	$88,880

"Low (<10%)" indicates that 10% of workers earned less and 90% earned more.
"Median (50%)" indicates that 50% of workers earned less and 50% earned more.
"High (>90%)" indicates that 90% of workers earned less and 10% earned more.
"N/A" indicates that data in not available

*The annual salary and wage data presented above represents U.S, Based workers with full-time employment and year-round schedules. The data above is for Forensic Science Technicians. Crime Scene Investigation is a specialization within this field. Salary figures may vary from those quoted above.

Below are the industries with the highest levels of employment for Forensice Science Technicians (which include Crime Scene Investigators).

Industry	% of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
Local Government	14	$27.50	$57,000
State Government	19	$27.10	$56,350
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	20	$28.90	$60,230
Scientific Research and Development Services	3	$34.35	$71,450
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	1	$29.15	$60,620

Below are the industries with the highest concentration of employment for Forensice Science Technicians (which include Crime Scene Investigators).

Industry	% of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	20	$28.96	$60,230
State Government	19	$27	$56,350
Local Government	14	$27	$56,990
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	6	$18	$37,540
Scientific Research and Development Services	3	$34	$71,450

Below are the top paying industries for Forensice Science Technicians (which include Crime Scene Investigators).

Industry	% of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
Federal Executive Branch	1	$45	$93,940
Scientific Research and Development Services	3	$34	$71,450
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	1	$29	$60,620
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	20	$28	$60,230
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	1	$28	$59,400

Career Description and Salary Info

Crime scene investigator salaries are usually determined by how much education and experience a crime scene invesitgator has acquired, as well as the region they work in the department. Average salaries for crime scene investigators range from $32,000 a year on the low end to $88,000 a year on the high end.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, a "forensic science technician" (a.k.a. a Crimine Scene Investigator) is a criminal justice professional employed to "identify, collect, classify, and analyze physical evidence that is related to criminal investigations". The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the "forensic science technician" career as one of the fastest growing careers in 2012 and the number of crime scene investigors nationwide (both in the field and in the laboratory) increased from 9,800 in 2004 to about 13,030 in 2008, and the number is expected to continue to grow over the next ten years. In 2012 the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average hourly wage for a crime scene technician (a.k.a. crime scene investigator) was $26.60 and the mean salary was $55,000 a year. For the same period the top 10% of all crime scene investigators earned over $88,000 a year and the lowest 10% earned only $32,600 a year.