Money · 1 of 4
What forensic scientists make
Median
$80,000
Lower end
$50,000
Upper end
$137,000
Job Bank's forensic chemist page gives a national median of $38.46 an hour, about $80,000 a year at 40 hours a week. The lower and upper ends ($24.00 and $65.93 an hour) are the bottom and top of the range for everyone in the group. Almost all of these jobs are government, so pay follows a public service grid with steps rather than negotiation.