Forensics Engineer

Forensics Engineer Salary

$43.5K

$113K

$168K

$115,449

/year

$55.50

/hour

Forensics Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$115,449

Columbus

Ohio

$111,512

    Do you get a good deal as a Forensics Engineer?

    Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

    Take The Breakroom Quiz

    Breakroom banner

    How much does a Forensics Engineer make?

    As of Jul 19, 2026, the average annual pay for a Forensics Engineer in the United States is $115,449 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $55.50 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,220/week or $9,620/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $168,000 and as low as $43,500, the majority of Forensics Engineer salaries currently range between $97,000 (25th percentile) to $134,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $162,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Forensics Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 37500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Forensics Engineer in your area makes on average $111,512 per year, or $3,937 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $115,449. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Forensics Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Forensics Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Forensics Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Forensics Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Forensics Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Sitka, AK, and San Francisco, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. San Francisco, CA, beats the national average by $20,570 (17.8%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $27,766 (24.1%) above the $115,449 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Forensics Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Nome, AK, and Ashland, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Forensics Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $143,215

    $68.85

    Sitka, AK

    $139,080

    $66.87

    San Francisco, CA

    $136,019

    $65.39

    Santa Clara, CA

    $135,588

    $65.19

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $135,497

    $65.14

    Livermore, CA

    $135,421

    $65.11

    Arlington, VA

    $132,820

    $63.86

    Richmond, CA

    $132,498

    $63.70

    Hayward, CA

    $132,362

    $63.64

    Ashland, CA

    $132,352

    $63.63

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Forensics Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Forensics Engineer category.

    For example Cyber Detective jobs pay as much as $29,012 (25.1%) more than the average Forensics Engineer salary of $115,449. If you're qualified, finding work as a Cyber Detective may help you make more money than that of the average Forensics Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Cyber Detective

    $144,461

    $69.45

    Dfir

    $137,745

    $66.22

    Cyber Forensic

    $101,608

    $48.85

    Digital Forensic Examiner

    $74,125

    $35.64

    Forensic Science Degree

    $52,397

    $25.19

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Forensics Engineer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $115,449 per year or $55.50 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.