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Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Technicians: 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 Technicians if you would rather collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Entry credentials differ: Forensic Science Technicians, bachelor's degree; Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, high school diploma or equivalent.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Forensic Science Technicians and Occupational Health and Safety Technicians. 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
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

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 Technicians

National median pay (2025)
$61,560
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; 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
Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
3,800
Know before you choose

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

See the full Occupational Health and Safety Technicians brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Forensic Science Technicians has the edge on median pay

Forensic Science Technicians is at $72,060, compared with $61,560 for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians.

2

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians is at 3,800 annual openings, compared with 2,800 annual openings for Forensic Science Technicians.

3

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians is at 19.4% projected growth, compared with 13.3% projected growth for Forensic Science Technicians.

61.7/ 100

Forensic Science Technicians

vs
61/ 100

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

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 Technicians

DimensionForensic Science TechniciansOccupational Health and Safety Technicians
Median pay (2025)$72,060$61,560
Pay percentile61.9 percentile50.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)13.3%19.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)2,8003,800
2025 employment20,10031,200
How you qualifyBachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 3Job Zone 3
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingMore than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

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

Read Forensic Science Technicians briefRead Occupational Health and Safety Technicians brief

Try another comparison

Forensic Science Technicians vs Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Forensic Science Technicians
$72,060 · 13.3% growth
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$82,220 · 6.1% growth
Compare careers →

Forensic Science Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Forensic Science Technicians
$72,060 · 13.3% growth
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
$90,150 · 18.5% growth
Compare careers →

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians vs Biological Technicians

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
$61,560 · 19.4% growth
Biological Technicians
$57,510 · 7.4% growth
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