Forensic Science Technicians · SOC 19-4092

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Forensic Science Technicianss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for forensic science technicians. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (3 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 92 metro areas

Forensic Science Technicians: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$137,280	140	0.1
2	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$112,790	260	0.1
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$109,930	330	0.1
4	Akron, OH	$106,330	80	0.2
5	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$105,320	220	0.1
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$104,410	1,170	0.2
7	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$102,810	80	0.3
8	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$101,780	160	0.1
9	New Haven, CT	$98,250	70	0.2
10	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$95,460	230	0.1
11	Toledo, OH	$95,330	40	0.1
12	Lansing-East Lansing, MI	$88,670	110	0.5
13	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$87,460	80	0.1
14	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$87,280	70	0.1
15	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$87,170	340	0.2
16	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$87,020	170	0.4
17	Topeka, KS	$86,670	60	0.5
18	Fresno, CA	$85,200	70	0.2
19	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$85,070	660	0.2
20	Colorado Springs, CO	$84,010	30	0.1
21	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$82,320	280	0.2
22	Missoula, MT	$82,200	40	0.6
23	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$82,040	40	0.1
24	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$81,930	60	0.2
25	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$81,780	300	0.2

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Forensic Science Technicians overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.