Arson investigator vs criminal investigator

The differences between arson investigators and criminal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a criminal investigator has an average salary of $54,520, which is higher than the $52,648 average annual salary of an arson investigator.

The top three skills for an arson investigator include fire protection, law enforcement and fire investigations. The most important skills for a criminal investigator are investigative reports, resourcefulness, and firearms.

Arson investigator vs criminal investigator overview

	Arson Investigator	Criminal Investigator
Yearly salary	$52,648	$54,520
Hourly rate	$25.31	$26.21
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	4,427	5,131
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	49	44
Years of experience	2	-

Arson investigator vs criminal investigator salary

Arson investigators and criminal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Arson Investigator	Criminal Investigator
Average salary	$52,648	$54,520
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $85,000	Between $34,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between arson investigator and criminal investigator education

There are a few differences between an arson investigator and a criminal investigator in terms of educational background:

	Arson Investigator	Criminal Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Fire Science And Protection	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of Nebraska - Lincoln	-

Arson investigator vs criminal investigator demographics

Here are the differences between arson investigators' and criminal investigators' demographics:

	Arson Investigator	Criminal Investigator
Average age	49	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8%	Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	18%	9%

Differences between arson investigator and criminal investigator duties and responsibilities

Arson investigator example responsibilities.

Manage repair processes in a timely fashion to mitigate claims cost and reduce litigation exposure.
Consider an expert in fire and arson investigation in courtroom testimony resulting in many successful prosecutions.
Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, and motorize conveyance.
Present public education programs relate to arson.
Conduct undercover operations on purchasing homemade fireworks and arson for profit.
Assist attorneys in misdemeanor civil/criminal cases by delivering subpoenas, interviewing witnesses, collecting and documenting evidence relate to open cases.

Criminal investigator example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Close accounts and file SAR's with FinCEN as warranted.
Write suspicious activity reports (SAR).
Follow up on sub reviews and documentation require information for FinCEN reporting.
Coordinate and conduct firearms training.
Examine discovery, prepare subpoenas, and review pertinent documents.

Arson investigator vs criminal investigator skills

Common arson investigator skills

Fire Protection, 35%
Law Enforcement, 26%
Fire Investigations, 18%
Fire, 7%
Arson, 7%
Evidence Collection, 1%

Common criminal investigator skills

Investigative Reports, 13%
Resourcefulness, 11%
Firearms, 11%
Treasury, 9%
Investigative Techniques, 8%
IRS, 6%

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Arson Investigator
Arson Investigator vs Criminal Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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