The average annual salaries for forensic science technicians in the state of Washington are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of forensic science technicians among Washington areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $50,250 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $63,940 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $77,170 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $84,170 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $99,180 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for forensic science technicians in Washington in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $99,180. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $77,170. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $50,250.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of forensic science technicians from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $77,170 | 2.68% | 29.12% |
| 2021 | $75,100 | 8.76% | - |
| 2020 | $68,520 | 5.75% | - |
| 2019 | $64,580 | 8.76% | - |
| 2018 | $58,920 | 0.59% | - |
| 2017 | $58,570 | -1.50% | - |
| 2016 | $59,450 | -5.08% | - |
| 2015 | $62,470 | 4.90% | - |
| 2014 | $59,410 | 4.48% | - |
| 2013 | $56,750 | 3.61% | - |
| 2012 | $54,700 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of forensic science technicians in some Washington cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of forensic science technicians in state of Washington ranges from $59,200 to $88,480. The highest paying area for forensic science technicians in Washington is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro with a median annual salary of $88,480. The second highest paying city/area in Washington State is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (mean annual salary $77,170). The lowest paying area is Western Washington nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $59,200.
| Cities/Areas | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Everett | |
| Spokane | |
| Tacoma | |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area |