Digital Forensics Analysts: Career Profile
Conduct investigations on computer-based crimes establishing documentary or physical evidence, such as digital media and logs associated with cyber intrusion incidents. Analyze digital evidence and investigate computer security incidents to derive information in support of system and network vulnerability mitigation. Preserve and present computer-related evidence in support of criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, or law enforcement investigations.
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What Tasks Do Digital Forensics Analysts Do?
The core tasks performed by digital forensics analysts cover:
- Analyze log files or other digital information to identify the perpetrators of network intrusions.
- Conduct predictive or reactive analyses on security measures to support cyber security initiatives.
- Create system images or capture network settings from information technology environments to preserve as evidence.
- Develop plans for investigating alleged computer crimes, violations, or suspicious activity.
- Develop policies or requirements for data collection, processing, or reporting.
- Duplicate digital evidence to use for data recovery and analysis procedures.
- Identify or develop reverse-engineering tools to improve system capabilities or detect vulnerabilities.
- Maintain cyber defense software or hardware to support responses to cyber incidents.
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Cyber Analyst
- Cyber Defense Analyst
- Cyber Digital Forensics
- Cyber Digital Media Analyst
- Cyber Forensics Analyst
- Cyber Intelligence Analyst
- Cyber Threat Analyst
- Cyber Threat Hunter
Employment and Demand
There are about 358,838 digital forensics analysts working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.9% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Digital Forensics Analysts
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $119,226 |
| Hourly median | $57.32 |
| 10th percentile | $65,848 |
| 25th percentile | $92,537 |
| 75th percentile | $145,915 |
| 90th percentile | $172,603 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Digital Forensics Analysts Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Virgin Islands | $179,830 |
| Maryland | $141,540 |
| District of Columbia | $137,610 |
| Virginia | $132,810 |
| Delaware | $132,670 |
| Washington | $131,800 |
| California | $128,750 |
| Colorado | $119,560 |
| West Virginia | $113,030 |
| Hawaii | $112,050 |
| Arizona | $112,010 |
| Vermont | $109,220 |
| Texas | $108,170 |
| North Carolina | $106,240 |
| Massachusetts | $105,890 |
| New York | $105,210 |
| Ohio | $104,330 |
| Alabama | $104,330 |
| South Carolina | $104,330 |
| New Jersey | $103,910 |
| Iowa | $103,690 |
| Oregon | $102,940 |
| Florida | $102,750 |
| New Mexico | $102,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $102,330 |
| Michigan | $102,300 |
| Maine | $101,760 |
| Georgia | $100,950 |
| Nevada | $100,570 |
| Illinois | $100,310 |
| Kansas | $100,090 |
| Alaska | $100,040 |
| Minnesota | $99,740 |
| South Dakota | $98,550 |
| Connecticut | $97,870 |
| Rhode Island | $96,990 |
| Indiana | $96,530 |
| Idaho | $95,640 |
| Utah | $95,640 |
| Oklahoma | $95,640 |
| Kentucky | $90,380 |
| Wyoming | $90,010 |
| Nebraska | $87,920 |
| New Hampshire | $87,420 |
| Mississippi | $86,380 |
| Wisconsin | $85,290 |
| Missouri | $84,250 |
| Montana | $78,690 |
| Arkansas | $77,830 |
| Louisiana | $75,560 |
| North Dakota | $69,640 |
| Tennessee | $65,370 |
| Puerto Rico | $42,250 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for digital forensics analysts vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $126,964 | 25.0% | 1.54 |
| Middle Atlantic | $121,117 | 18.1% | 2.97 |
| Rocky Mountains | $108,235 | 3.6% | 0.97 |
| Southwest | $107,900 | 16.0% | 1.38 |
| New England | $102,646 | 2.6% | 0.65 |
| Southeast | $101,290 | 22.4% | 1.02 |
| Great Lakes | $97,392 | 6.3% | 0.61 |
| Plains States | $89,865 | 5.8% | 1.14 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Digital Forensics Analysts
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $168,070 | 15,550 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $157,380 | 18,680 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $144,040 | 35,080 |
| Charlottesville, VA | VA | $142,150 | 140 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | MD | $139,940 | 420 |
| Lexington Park, MD | MD | $138,090 | 1,020 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $134,230 | 10,400 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $133,680 | 9,110 |
Which Industries Hire Digital Forensics Analysts
The bulk of digital forensics analysts are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 130,160 | $106,200 |
| Information | 43,000 | $126,550 |
| Finance and Insurance | 28,690 | $126,080 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 25,660 | $127,600 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 24,880 | $96,000 |
| Manufacturing | 21,020 | $102,950 |
| Educational Services | 18,100 | $79,900 |
| Wholesale Trade | 13,130 | $100,550 |
Tech Stack
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Expert system software: Ansible software (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple iOS (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Bash (hot technology)
- Switch or router software: Border Gateway Protocol BGP (hot technology)
- Development environment software: C (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C# (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Go (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
How to Become Digital Forensics Analysts
This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Security Managers (Primary-Long)
- Computer and Information Systems Managers (Supplemental)
- Security Management Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts (Supplemental)
- Computer Systems Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Information Security Analysts (Primary-Short)
- Computer Network Support Specialists (Supplemental)
- Computer Network Architects (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Students preparing for digital forensics analysts often complete programs in:
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
5 programs across 5 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 15-1299.06 (Computer Occupations, All Other).
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