Bail bond agent vs background investigator

The differences between bail bond agents and background investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a bail bond agent and a background investigator. Additionally, a background investigator has an average salary of $51,076, which is higher than the $39,402 average annual salary of a bail bond agent.

The top three skills for a bail bond agent include court dates, customer service and bonds. The most important skills for a background investigator are excellent time management, work ethic, and face-to-face interviews.

Bail bond agent vs background investigator overview

	Bail Bond Agent	Background Investigator
Yearly salary	$39,402	$51,076
Hourly rate	$18.94	$24.56
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	26,182	4,428
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Bail bond agent vs background investigator salary

Bail bond agents and background investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bail Bond Agent	Background Investigator
Average salary	$39,402	$51,076
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $72,000	Between $28,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between bail bond agent and background investigator education

There are a few differences between a bail bond agent and a background investigator in terms of educational background:

	Bail Bond Agent	Background Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Bakersfield

Bail bond agent vs background investigator demographics

Here are the differences between bail bond agents' and background investigators' demographics:

	Bail Bond Agent	Background Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.4% Female, 56.6%	Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between bail bond agent and background investigator duties and responsibilities

Bail bond agent example responsibilities.

Manage employees, handle complaints, employee scheduling, and payroll.
Welcome customers; determine nature of business, and direct customers to suitable employee.
Act on behalf of a surety and certify bail for the appearance of persons accuse of a crime in court.
Formulate accurate bond activity reports to communicate with surety company.
Operate remote telecommunications using applications and secure computer communications to troubleshoot and resolve issues on customer Samsung devices.
Interview bond applicants to ascertain character and financial status of defendant and/or co-signer.

Background investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Conduct covert surveillance, deploy camera systems & GPS trackers, & report findings to be used in family court cases.
Provide EEO education and training.
Have top Secert ssbi clearance in JPAS
Comply with DOD site security protocols.
Conduct background investigations on behalf of CBP.

Bail bond agent vs background investigator skills

Common bail bond agent skills

Court Dates, 17%
Customer Service, 17%
Bonds, 11%
Bail Bonds, 9%
Background Checks, 6%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%

Common background investigator skills

Excellent Time Management, 18%
Work Ethic, 18%
Face-To-Face Interviews, 11%
National Security, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Financial Institutions, 7%

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Bail Bond Agent
Bail Bond Agent vs Background Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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