Pay by state · 41 states
Forensic Science Technician Salary by State (2026)
Forensic Science Technicians earn the most in Illinois at $124,790 a year and the least in Arkansas at $44,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $72,060. All 41 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $124,790Illinois
- National median
- $72,060BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $44,670Arkansas
- States reporting
- 41of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Forensic Science Technician salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of forensic science technicians OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ILIllinois | $124,790 | $79,190 | $129,590 | 370 | $124,842 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $102,100 | $80,810 | $132,810 | 2,800 | $92,215 |
| 3 | CTConnecticut | $85,910 | $66,150 | $104,800 | 120 | $82,917 |
| 4 | COColorado | $84,010 | $71,850 | $105,350 | 510 | $81,522 |
| 5 | MTMontana | $82,200 | $61,630 | $82,200 | 60 | $86,851 |
| 6 | MDMaryland | $82,140 | $65,170 | $105,300 | 460 | $78,259 |
| 7 | NYNew York | $81,670 | $64,990 | $100,310 | 1,140 | $75,676 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $81,310 | $70,720 | $97,350 | 390 | $75,981 |
| 9 | NVNevada | $81,090 | $65,490 | $103,930 | 360 | $81,107 |
| 10 | OROregon | $80,950 | $63,880 | $102,160 | 110 | $78,318 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $79,320 | $70,650 | $97,360 | 290 | $75,002 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $76,960 | $64,980 | $86,490 | 140 | $78,036 |
| 13 | VTVermont | $74,110 | $58,570 | $84,140 | 30 | $75,655 |
| 14 | WIWisconsin | $72,280 | $62,530 | $80,140 | 310 | $76,816 |
| 15 | IDIdaho | $71,160 | $58,700 | $94,100 | 160 | $74,518 |
| 16 | NDNorth Dakota | $71,090 | $61,540 | $90,250 | 40 | $79,913 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $70,870 | $48,550 | $78,670 | 40 | $73,024 |
| 18 | TNTennessee | $70,500 | $54,030 | $95,940 | 300 | $76,739 |
| 19 | VAVirginia | $68,900 | $52,970 | $99,330 | 770 | $68,148 |
| 20 | IAIowa | $67,060 | $51,960 | $77,360 | 130 | $76,411 |
| 21 | UTUtah | $66,780 | $55,530 | $81,900 | 220 | $67,547 |
| 22 | INIndiana | $66,520 | $58,420 | $83,280 | 320 | $71,275 |
| 23 | OKOklahoma | $65,940 | $49,150 | $82,040 | 110 | $75,066 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $65,920 | $55,070 | $74,470 | 150 | $73,161 |
| 25 | NMNew Mexico | $65,570 | $52,470 | $81,740 | 200 | $71,108 |
| 26 | FLFlorida | $64,140 | $52,010 | $80,600 | 1,920 | $62,023 |
| 27 | GAGeorgia | $63,600 | $48,810 | $75,390 | 550 | $66,048 |
| 28 | WVWest Virginia | $63,330 | $52,740 | $72,430 | 110 | $70,762 |
| 29 | AZArizona | $63,250 | $51,730 | $84,600 | 900 | $62,825 |
| 30 | NJNew Jersey | $63,220 | $49,630 | $72,430 | 60 | $58,104 |
| 31 | MOMissouri | $62,750 | $53,270 | $77,110 | 350 | $69,095 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $61,580 | $54,430 | $84,530 | 360 | $63,112 |
| 33 | KYKentucky | $61,470 | $51,200 | $67,760 | 60 | $68,180 |
| 34 | TXTexas | $59,870 | $49,460 | $70,130 | 1,900 | $61,685 |
| 35 | ALAlabama | $59,560 | $49,000 | $74,290 | 160 | $67,055 |
| 36 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,240 | $49,690 | $66,110 | 520 | $62,803 |
| 37 | MSMississippi | $52,850 | $42,350 | $70,260 | 140 | $60,780 |
| 38 | WYWyoming | $52,100 | $41,600 | $67,640 | 90 | $56,208 |
| 39 | SCSouth Carolina | $51,830 | $45,990 | $57,990 | 160 | $55,286 |
| 40 | SDSouth Dakota | $51,690 | $43,680 | $62,310 | 30 | $58,350 |
| 41 | ARArkansas | $44,670 | $41,280 | $50,520 | 100 | $51,382 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Forensic Science Technicians, that changes the ranking: Illinois leads on raw pay at $124,790, while Illinois leads once prices are taken into account at $124,842.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Forensic Science Technician pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Forensic Science Technicians the most?
Illinois reports the highest median wage for Forensic Science Technicians at $124,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($102,100) and Connecticut ($85,910).
Which state pays Forensic Science Technicians the least?
Arkansas reports the lowest median for Forensic Science Technicians at $44,670 a year, $80,120 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Forensic Science Technicians earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Illinois first at $124,842 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $124,790. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.