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The differences between child support investigators and child support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a child support investigator and a child support specialist. Additionally, a child support investigator has an average salary of $47,732, which is higher than the $38,271 average annual salary of a child support specialist.
The top three skills for a child support investigator include law enforcement agencies, protective services and child support orders. The most important skills for a child support specialist are customer service, social work, and child support cases.
| Child Support Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,732 | $38,271 |
| Hourly rate | $22.95 | $18.40 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 75,493 | 143,623 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Child support investigators and child support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Support Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,732 | $38,271 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $60,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Rockville, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | University of Rochester |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a child support investigator and a child support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Support Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between child support investigators' and child support specialists' demographics:
| Child Support Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3% | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |