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Boston Career Explorer

Life, Physical, and Social Science

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.

Also called: Crime Lab Analyst (Crime Laboratory Analyst), Crime Scene Analyst (CSA), Crime Scene Technician (Crime Scene Tech), Criminalist, CSI (Crime Scene Investigator), Evidence Technician (Evidence Tech)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$79,320
$38.14/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
250
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+16.7%
50 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$64,520$70,650$79,320$101,680$132,580

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
  • Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
  • Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes.
  • Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings.
  • Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases.
  • Measure and sketch crime scenes to document evidence.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure46 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 53
  • Language-model AIOE 48
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 37

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is moderate, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with keeping records and writing up findings. Collecting evidence at crime scenes, using chemicals on fingerprints, and testifying in court rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Keeping records and drafting lab reports
  • Comparing fingerprints against database records

Still relies on people

  • Collecting and preserving evidence at crime scenes
  • Testifying in court about findings

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

62 programs near Boston (plus 41 graduate)

Related occupations

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