Utah / Department of Public Safety / Forensic Scientist I
Job-title file
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
21 employees hold this title in Department of Public Safety. Median total compensation for the role is $59,138, below the department median of $63,694.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 21 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in Utah, the median wage for Forensic Science Technicians — about 220 people — is $66,780. Department of Public Safety pays a median base salary of $47,050 for this role, 30% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Forensic Science Technicians across every employer in Utah, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Public Safety’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Forensic Science Technicians — about 19,120 people — is $72,060. Department of Public Safety’s median base salary is 35% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Utah range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 27 of 40 people in this role paid at least $25,000 in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Public Safety is $54,147, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
Forensic Scientist I is held in 3 Utah departments. In Department of Public Safety, the median of $59,138 ranks #2 of 3.
Median total compensation for the Forensic Scientist I role in other Utahdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 13 jurisdictions. In Utah, the median of $54,288 ranks #11 of 13. See Forensic Scientist across all of Utah →
Median total compensation for comparable Forensic Scientist roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Same department
Record list
Page 1
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Marlee Moon holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $81,896.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Matthew Poulsen works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Matthew earned $78,954 in 2019.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Joshua Heinz is a Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $73,793.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Meghan Curran is a Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $72,083.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Stephanie Hardy works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Stephanie earned $71,798 in 2019.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Emily Simek holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $71,673.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Paige Cox holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $71,642.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Chi-Tai Tang is a Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. 2017 total compensation came to $70,354.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Katrina Welker works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Katrina earned $66,135 in 2019.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Kevin Piccirilli holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2017, their total compensation was $60,030.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Kavita Alejo holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $59,138.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Molly Richardson works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Molly earned $55,304 in 2017.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Melissa Richards is a Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $42,690.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Amber Mayfield works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Amber earned $42,561 in 2019.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
At Department of Public Safety, Katherine Reising serves as a Forensic Scientist I within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Their 2019 pay totaled $32,450.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
At Department of Public Safety, Adam Yankee serves as a Forensic Scientist I within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Their 2018 pay totaled $30,088.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Hanna Bennett holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Comp & Excess Pool. In 2018, their total compensation was $29,717.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Alexis Nelson works as a Forensic Scientist I for Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. Alexis earned $25,477 in 2018.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Yong Oh holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2017, their total compensation was $25,239.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Lies Janssens is a Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. 2017 total compensation came to $22,339.
Forensic Scientist I/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Justin Masin holds the role of Forensic Scientist I at Department of Public Safety within Department of Public Safety Programs & Operations. In 2017, their total compensation was $485.