Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between crime analysts and police officers 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 $52,638 average annual salary of a police officer.
The top three skills for a crime analyst include criminal justice, AML and patrol. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.
| Crime Analyst | Police Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $60,253 | $52,638 |
| Hourly rate | $28.97 | $25.31 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 29,095 | 116,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| 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.
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
Crime analysts and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Crime Analyst | Police Officer | |
| Average salary | $60,253 | $52,638 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $82,000 | Between $38,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baton Rouge, LA | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Citi | Icma-rc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a crime analyst and a police officer in terms of educational background:
| Crime Analyst | Police Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between crime analysts' and police officers' demographics:
| Crime Analyst | Police Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| 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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |