Utah / Department of Public Safety / Senior Forensic Scientist
Job-title file
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
12 employees hold this title in Department of Public Safety. Median total compensation for the role is $106,329, above the department median of $63,694.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 12 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 $62,358 for this role, 7% below that figure — about the 40th 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 13% below that national figure, about the 33rd 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 15 of 16 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 $101,234, 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
Senior Forensic Scientist is held in 3 Utah departments. In Department of Public Safety, the median of $106,329 ranks #2 of 3.
Median total compensation for the Senior Forensic Scientist role in other Utahdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 4 jurisdictions. In Utah, the median of $102,932 ranks #1 of 4. See Senior Forensic Scientist across all of Utah →
Median total compensation for comparable Senior 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.
Record list
Page 1
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
John Gerlits holds the role of Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $128,651.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Bryan Holden works as a Senior Forensic Scientist for Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. Bryan earned $118,161 in 2019.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Elisa Farmer works as a Senior Forensic Scientist for Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. Elisa earned $111,836 in 2019.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Trenton Grandy is a Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $111,294.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Ryan Barney works as a Senior Forensic Scientist for Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. Ryan earned $110,707 in 2019.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Kelcee Vail holds the role of Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $108,067.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Matthew Anderson holds the role of Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $104,592.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
At Department of Public Safety, Heather Mills serves as a Senior Forensic Scientist within Dps Programs & Operations. Their 2019 pay totaled $102,932.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Bonnie Stewart is a Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $99,536.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Kelly Whittle holds the role of Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. In 2019, their total compensation was $98,827.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Jennifer Gelston is a Senior Forensic Scientist at Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. 2019 total compensation came to $94,978.
Senior Forensic Scientist/Department of Public Safety
Source-specific fields
Justin Bechaver works as a Senior Forensic Scientist for Department of Public Safety within Dps Programs & Operations. Justin earned $73,483 in 2018.