Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: $72K vs $90K Median Pay

Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: what changes?

Consider Forensic Science Technicians if you want to collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Consider Occupational Health and Safety Specialists if you would rather review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Forensic Science Technicians and Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Forensic Science Technicians

National median pay (2025): $72,060
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (20,100 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Forensic Science Technicians brief

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

National median pay (2025): $90,150
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 17,100

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Occupational Health and Safety Specialists brief

How the national numbers differ

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at 17,100 annual openings, compared with 2,800 annual openings for Forensic Science Technicians.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on median pay

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at $90,150, compared with $72,060 for Forensic Science Technicians.

Typical preparation differs.

Forensic Science Technicians: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is at 18.5% projected growth, compared with 13.3% projected growth for Forensic Science Technicians.

61.7/ 100

Forensic Science Technicians

74.3/ 100

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Dimension	Forensic Science Technicians	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
Median pay (2025)	$72,060	$90,150
Pay percentile	61.9 percentile	77.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	13.3%	18.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,800	17,100
2025 employment	20,100	143,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Forensic Science Technicians brief Read Occupational Health and Safety Specialists brief

Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Forensic Science Technicians

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

How the national numbers differ

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

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