Customs officer vs immigration inspector

The differences between customs officers and immigration inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a customs officer has an average salary of $156,696, which is higher than the $51,257 average annual salary of an immigration inspector.

The top three skills for a customs officer include bank products, customer satisfaction and financial services. The most important skills for an immigration inspector are law enforcement agencies, citizenship, and us customs.

Customs officer vs immigration inspector overview

	Customs Officer	Immigration Inspector
Yearly salary	$156,696	$51,257
Hourly rate	$75.33	$24.64
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	56,662	35,982
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Customs officer vs immigration inspector salary

Customs officers and immigration inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Customs Officer	Immigration Inspector
Average salary	$156,696	$51,257
Salary range	Between $77,000 And $317,000	Between $26,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Aera Technology	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between customs officer and immigration inspector education

There are a few differences between a customs officer and an immigration inspector in terms of educational background:

	Customs Officer	Immigration Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northeastern University

Customs officer vs immigration inspector demographics

Here are the differences between customs officers' and immigration inspectors' demographics:

	Customs Officer	Immigration Inspector
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%	Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between customs officer and immigration inspector duties and responsibilities

Customs officer example responsibilities.

Manage VIP visits and deal with all areas of logistics including event management and corporate hospitality
Seize contraband secrete in conveyances and when justify, seize the conveyance.
Process passengers that have been identify as having outstanding warrants in accordance with NCIC guidelines.
Maintain firearms and other issue equipment in good working order and condition at all times.
Review HAZMAT labels, FDA paperwork, and perishable goods invoices in compliance with regulations.
Search automobiles, conveyance of records and documents, seize contraband, equipment, and vehicles.

Immigration inspector example responsibilities.

Interview U.S. citizens to accomplish anti-terrorism and anti-smuggling mission.
Administer citizenship workshops to community-base organizations.
Administer citizenship workshops to community-base organizations.

Customs officer vs immigration inspector skills

Common customs officer skills

Bank Products, 14%
Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Financial Services, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Customer Inquiries, 8%
Customer Complaints, 5%

Common immigration inspector skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 31%
Citizenship, 16%
US Customs, 11%
Intelligence Reports, 7%
NCIC, 6%
Legal Entry, 5%

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Customs Officer vs Immigration Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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