Author's bio: Ryan Deto, originally from California, has been exploring the streets of Pittsburgh for more than four years. He has been published in LA Weekly and has traveled to more than a dozen countries and more than 40 states throughout America.
Current Nationwide trends estimate that job openings for forensic scientists will rise approximately 19 percent by 2012. These numbers indicate more than 360 job positions opening up each year. In 2002, forensic scientists held approximately 8,400 job positions.
According to the Dept. of Labor, the jobs that pay the most hire the fewest people. Forensic scientists working for the U.S. government (of which there are about 150 in the U.S.) make, on average, $40 an hour. This works out to about $84,000 a year. The next highest paid forensic scientists work for consulting firms, whether theyâre doing general management, scientific work or technical advising. The average salary here is about $53,000 a year. Hospitals come in third (both general and surgical hospitals), and pay about $52,000 a year in salary.