Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between crime analysts and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a crime analyst has an average salary of $60,253, which is higher than the $57,984 average annual salary of a detective.
The top three skills for a crime analyst include criminal justice, AML and patrol. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Crime Analyst | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $60,253 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $28.97 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 29,095 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A crime analyst specializes in gathering and processing data to help law enforcement solve and prevent crimes. They prioritize accurate and sufficient data collection, which is why they visit crime scenes to collect pieces of evidence such as DNA and photographs according to a set of protocols. They must also conduct interviews with witnesses, possible suspects, first responders, and other law enforcement officers. Through the evidence gathered, a crime analyst produces detailed results and reports that will help police officers and detectives to navigate through the cases.
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Crime analysts and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Crime Analyst | Detective | |
| Average salary | $60,253 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $82,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baton Rouge, LA | - |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | - |
| Best paying company | Citi | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a crime analyst and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Crime Analyst | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between crime analysts' and detectives' demographics:
| Crime Analyst | Detective | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 2.9% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |