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The differences between border patrol agents and public safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a border patrol agent has an average salary of $46,060, which is higher than the $36,596 average annual salary of a public safety officer.
The top three skills for a border patrol agent include patrol, CBP and DHS. The most important skills for a public safety officer are patrol, patients, and public safety.
| Border Patrol Agent | Public Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $46,060 | $36,596 |
| Hourly rate | $22.14 | $17.59 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 43,748 | 122,048 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A border patrol agent is a government employee who provides the security of international land borders and coastal waters between ports of entry. Border patrol agents are required to apprehend illegal border crossers, criminals, and terrorists from crossing a country to stop them from carrying out illegal activities and attacks. They work closely with other local and federal agencies to ensure legal immigrants, enterprises, and commerce remain unimpeded. Border patrol agents must also use electronic surveillance equipment and respond to electronic sensor alarms in remote areas.
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.
Border patrol agents and public safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Border Patrol Agent | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $46,060 | $36,596 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $68,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | New Britain, CT |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Department of Homeland Security | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a border patrol agent and a public safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Border Patrol Agent | Public Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | 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 border patrol agents' and public safety officers' demographics:
| Border Patrol Agent | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 2.9% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 7% | 7% |