Forensics Salary
$43.5K - $55K
5% of jobs
$55K - $66.5K
2% of jobs
$66.5K - $78K
2% of jobs
$78K - $89.5K
8% of jobs
$96.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$89.5K - $101K
12% of jobs
$101K - $112.5K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $112.6K / yr.
$112.5K - $124K
17% of jobs
$131.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$124K - $135.5K
11% of jobs
$135.5K - $147K
4% of jobs
$147K - $158.5K
7% of jobs
$158.5K - $170K
10% of jobs
$43.5K
$113K
$168K
$115,449
/year
$55.50
/hour
Forensics Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$115,449
Columbus
Ohio
$111,512
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How much does a Forensics make?
As of Jul 31, 2026, the average annual pay for a Forensics 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 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 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 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 salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Forensics jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Forensics on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Forensics Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Forensics job is above the national average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $23,631 (20.5%), and Scotts Valley, CA, furthers that trend with another $33,953 (29.4%) 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 appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 9% between Scotts Valley, CA, and Oakland, 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 role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Scotts Valley, CA | $149,402 | $71.83 |
Berkeley, CA | $141,361 | $67.96 |
Sitka, AK | $139,080 | $66.87 |
South San Francisco, CA | $138,733 | $66.70 |
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 |
San Jose, CA | $135,306 | $65.05 |
Oakland, CA | $135,189 | $64.99 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Forensics Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Forensics job category, we found that No Experience Forensic Scientist jobs have average salaries similar than Forensics jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
No Experience Forensic Scientist | $79,408 | $38.18 |
Law Enforcement Computer Forensics | $78,849 | $37.91 |
Forensic Investigator Assistant | $77,448 | $37.23 |
Forensic Tech | $61,156 | $29.40 |
Forensic Medical Examiners | $61,011 | $29.33 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
