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Drug enforcement agent vs federal investigator

The differences between drug enforcement agents and federal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a drug enforcement agent and a federal investigator. Additionally, a drug enforcement agent has an average salary of $65,372, which is higher than the $50,277 average annual salary of a federal investigator.

The top three skills for a drug enforcement agent include patrol, DEA and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a federal investigator are background investigations, law enforcement agencies, and litigation.

Drug enforcement agent vs federal investigator overview

Drug Enforcement AgentFederal Investigator
Yearly salary$65,372$50,277
Hourly rate$31.43$24.17
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs26,2685,213
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Drug enforcement agent vs federal investigator salary

Drug enforcement agents and federal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Drug Enforcement AgentFederal Investigator
Average salary$65,372$50,277
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $107,000Between $33,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between drug enforcement agent and federal investigator education

There are a few differences between a drug enforcement agent and a federal investigator in terms of educational background:

Drug Enforcement AgentFederal Investigator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common college--

Drug enforcement agent vs federal investigator demographics

Here are the differences between drug enforcement agents' and federal investigators' demographics:

Drug Enforcement AgentFederal Investigator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 70.2% Female, 29.8%Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between drug enforcement agent and federal investigator duties and responsibilities

Drug enforcement agent example responsibilities.

  • Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
  • Assist DDA with administrative personnel matters.
  • Serve administrative subpoenas for patient documents, prescription profiles, and phone tolls to obtain pertinent information for investigations.
  • Guide and advise lead security managers for major defense contractors and countless other DOD organizations, regarding their security programs.
  • Guide and advise lead security managers for major defense contractors and countless other DOD organizations, regarding their security programs.

Federal investigator example responsibilities.

  • Investigate and open cases on customers and non-customers who have potentially engage in activity which goes against federally mandate BSA/AML regulations.
  • Handle and safeguard sensitive and confidential information, including personal identifiable information (PII).

Drug enforcement agent vs federal investigator skills

Common drug enforcement agent skills
  • Patrol, 35%
  • DEA, 19%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 14%
  • Criminal Investigations, 10%
  • Drug Enforcement Administration, 5%
  • Enforcement Administration, 5%
Common federal investigator skills
  • Background Investigations, 10%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Federal Agencies, 8%
  • Security Clearance, 6%
  • Subpoenas, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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