Deputy vs detective

The differences between deputies and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $53,682 average annual salary of a deputy.

The top three skills for a deputy include patrol, public safety and transport inmates. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Deputy vs detective overview

	Deputy	Detective
Yearly salary	$53,682	$57,984
Hourly rate	$25.81	$27.88
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	56,150	56,521
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a deputy do?

The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat. There are also instances when a deputy must serve court documents, transport detainees or suspected criminals, and monitor courtrooms. Furthermore, a deputy reports to higher-ranking officers such as a sheriff.

What does a detective do?

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.

Deputy vs detective salary

Deputies and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deputy	Detective
Average salary	$53,682	$57,984
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $90,000	Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Barclays	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between deputy and detective education

There are a few differences between a deputy and a detective in terms of educational background:

	Deputy	Detective
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Arizona

Deputy vs detective demographics

Here are the differences between deputies' and detectives' demographics:

	Deputy	Detective
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 3.5% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	7%	9%

Differences between deputy and detective duties and responsibilities

Deputy example responsibilities.

Hire and manage credit officers responsible for Citigroup's new commodity derivatives business in Houston.
Service warrants, subpoenas and evictions, supervise interstate extraditions on special assignments.
POST certify, weapons certification, first aid and CPR certification.
Take part in ongoing training and firearms qualifications provide by the department in accordance with state regulations.
Restrain, secure, or control offenders, using chemical agents, firearms, or other weapons of force as necessary.
Evaluate the performance of assign firefighting personnel.

Show more

Detective example responsibilities.

Manage all ABC issues and applications for liquor licenses.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Monitor wire taps and conduct detailed surveillance of wire tap targets and associates.
Sole provider of data gathering from TIGTA's complaint management system and the IRS for biweekly phishing scam reports.
Connect GPS devices/recorder/audio/video by hard wiring to vehicle power for longer operations.
Optimize critical security of dignitaries by proficiently conducting foot and vehicle patrol of concentration areas.

Show more

Deputy vs detective skills

Common deputy skills

Patrol, 20%
Public Safety, 9%
Transport Inmates, 6%
Emergency Situations, 5%
CPR, 5%
Federal Laws, 5%

Common detective skills

Physical Evidence, 15%
Patrol, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Crime Scenes, 5%
Insurance Fraud, 5%
Public Safety, 5%

Deputy vs. similar jobs

Deputy related careers

Deputy related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z