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The differences between background investigators and public safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a background investigator has an average salary of $51,076, which is higher than the $36,596 average annual salary of a public safety officer.
The top three skills for a background investigator include excellent time management, work ethic and face-to-face interviews. The most important skills for a public safety officer are patrol, patients, and public safety.
| Background Investigator | Public Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $51,076 | $36,596 |
| Hourly rate | $24.56 | $17.59 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,428 | 122,048 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
The primary job of background investigators is to conduct background checks into an individual's personal and professional history that can validate or disprove their identity and character. They perform background investigations as part of hiring new employees, making an investment, and choosing a public official. Background investigators are responsible for obtaining and reviewing witness statements and arrest reports and meeting with candidates or the management to keep them updated on the investigation's progress and status. They are also responsible for completing background packages for final review and recommendation.
Public relations assistants are professionals who are responsible for creating and distributing promotional materials to help clients increase their public image and awareness of their products and services. These assistants are required to help develop and distribute public relations materials such as brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and sell sheets. They must handle all the communications of their clients to the public by supervising social media content, press releases, and emails. Public relations assistants must also gather materials to be used in trade shows or client presentations.
Background investigators and public safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Background Investigator | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $51,076 | $36,596 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $90,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New Britain, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | - | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a background investigator and a public safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Background Investigator | Public Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between background investigators' and public safety officers' demographics:
| Background Investigator | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 4.6% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |