BABlood Splatter Analyst
BA
Career

Blood Splatter Analyst

By the numbers
Typical pay
$72,060 / yr
Education to start
Bachelor's degree
Future demand
+12.8% by 2034
People in this job
19K
Figures shown for ·1 O*NET occupation
The work
A day, hour by hour

No two days are identical — court days, lab days, and scene days all look different. Here's a day that combines a fresh scene with follow-up work:

07:30
Case briefing

Review overnight call notes; confirm today's scene address with the detective.

08:15
Scene documentation

Photograph and measure every bloodstain before anything is moved or touched.

10:00
Pattern read

Calculate impact angles and trace droplet paths — math and physics on the floor.

11:30
Evidence collection

Package blood samples carefully; chain of custody must hold up in court.

13:00
Detective debrief

Walk the lead detective through findings; flag anything that doesn't add up yet.

14:30
Lab & report writing

Draft the technical report — bloodstain findings mapped to the sequence of events.

16:30
Theory testing

Run a controlled experiment to check whether a disputed pattern fits the proposed weapon.

17:45
Testimony prep

Review case file ahead of tomorrow's court appearance; rehearse plain-language explanations.

Things you do
  • Read bloodstain patterns to reconstruct exactly how a crime unfolded.
  • Calculate the angle and direction blood droplets traveled using math and physics.
  • Photograph and measure every bloodstain at a crime scene before anything is touched.
  • Testify in court as an expert, explaining blood evidence to a jury in plain terms.
  • Collect and package blood samples carefully so evidence holds up in court.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Does this pattern tell a consistent story, or am I forcing the evidence to fit a theory?
  • Is this stain a true bloodstain pattern, or could something else explain it?
  • Do I have enough data to call a definitive conclusion, or should I say it's inconclusive?
  • On the stand, is the attorney misrepresenting my findings — and do I need to push back right now?
  • Is this scene too disturbing to keep working through, or can I stay focused and finish?
Education Pathways · how you get there
34 in 100 went the college route · 66 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:Forensic Science Technicians · 97% related
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