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Forensic Science Technicians · SOC 19-4092

Forensic Science Technicians Salary in the Des Moines Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area

Figures describe the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Des Moines city limits.

Median annual wage$71,160
Median hourly wage$34.21

Forensic Science Technicians in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area earned a median of $71,160 per year ($34.21 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $35,960 at the 10th percentile to $100,130 at the 90th. BLS estimates 90 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Forensic Science Technicians in the Des Moines metro area earn more than $71,160 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $57,600 and $96,990.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$35,960$57,600$71,160$96,990$100,130
Hourly$17.29$27.69$34.21$46.63$48.14

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Des Moines metro areathis metro area
    $71,160
  • Iowastate (IA)
    $67,060
  • United Statesnational
    $72,060

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +6% vs Iowa overall and −1% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$43,800$74,960$106,120$137,280Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $43,800Winston-Salem, NC — $45,950Columbia, SC — $45,990Fayetteville, NC — $49,670Asheville, NC — $51,050Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $51,330Corpus Christi, TX — $51,710Lubbock, TX — $54,970McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $55,150Pittsburgh, PA — $55,380Tallahassee, FL — $55,620Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $55,820Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $57,180Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $57,470Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $57,820El Paso, TX — $58,890Jacksonville, FL — $59,020Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $59,240Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $59,660San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $59,950Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $60,740Greensboro-High Point, NC — $61,130Tucson, AZ — $61,380Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $61,580Lincoln, NE — $61,680Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $62,120Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $62,160Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $62,270St. Louis, MO-IL — $62,760Raleigh-Cary, NC — $62,790Jackson, MS — $63,040Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $63,150Bismarck, ND — $63,360Wichita, KS — $63,420Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $63,840Savannah, GA — $63,840Charleston, WV — $63,920Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $65,220Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $65,230Baton Rouge, LA — $65,240Roanoke, VA — $65,620Rochester, NY — $66,340Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $66,440Omaha, NE-IA — $67,160Birmingham, AL — $67,340Cheyenne, WY — $67,640North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $67,750Oklahoma City, OK — $69,390Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $70,130Richmond, VA — $70,160Knoxville, TN — $70,500Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $71,160Madison, WI — $71,470Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $71,780Fort Wayne, IN — $72,510Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $73,740Jackson, TN — $74,020Boise City, ID — $75,460Naples-Marco Island, FL — $76,230Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $76,960Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $77,630Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $77,820Columbus, OH — $78,170Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $78,480Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $79,320Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $79,970New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $81,670Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $81,780Stockton-Lodi, CA — $81,930Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $82,040Missoula, MT — $82,200Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $82,320Colorado Springs, CO — $84,010Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $85,070Fresno, CA — $85,200Topeka, KS — $86,670Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $87,020Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $87,170Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $87,280Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $87,460Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $88,670Toledo, OH — $95,330Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $95,460New Haven, CT — $98,250Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $101,780Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $102,810Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $104,410San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $105,320Akron, OH — $106,330San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $109,930Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $112,790San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $137,280

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Des Moines metro area has the 41st-highest published median for this occupation among the 92 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Soil and Plant Scientists$132,290Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$92,310Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$81,220Food Scientists and Technologists$76,580Chemists$87,560Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$95,200

Highest-paying metro areas for forensic science technicianss · Highest-paying occupations in Des Moines Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

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.