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.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Learning
- Science
Key knowledge
- Law and Government
- Public Safety and Security
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Chemistry
What the work involves
- Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings.
- Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
- Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work.
- Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
- Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints.
- Analyze gunshot residue and bullet paths to determine how shootings occurred.
- Visit morgues, examine scenes of crimes, or contact other sources to obtain evidence or information to be used in investigations.
- Confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Realistic, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (36.3% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (38.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (42.2%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Forensic Science Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 64% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | Very high | Higher on dealing with the public than 85% of occupations compared | — |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 63% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 72% of occupations compared | 55% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Higher on time pressure than 55% of occupations compared | 37% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 71% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | High | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 70% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 83% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 14.07%
- Contact with others about half the time: 1.58%
- Contact with others most of the time: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Constant contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 1.81%
- Fairly important: 6.68%
- Important: 10.31%
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 1.46%
- Fairly important: 11.91%
- Important: 7.07%
- Very important: 33%
- Extremely important: 46.55%
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 3.05%
- Very little freedom: 0.24%
- Limited freedom: 21.19%
- Some freedom: 55.44%
- A lot of freedom: 20.09%
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Time pressure
- Never: 1.46%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 8.44%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 20.22%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 36.74%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Conflict situations
- Never: 5.53%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 31.97%
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.26%
- Every day: 13.9%
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 9.95%
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.39%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 31.03%
- Every day: 15.36%
n = 28, Incumbent 08/2023
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly serious: 2.97%
- Serious: 17.51%
- Very serious: 18.01%
- Extremely serious: 47.3%
n = 27, Incumbent 08/2023
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O*NET-SOC 19-4092.00 · SOC 19-4092 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8