Federal air marshal vs narcotics agent

The differences between federal air marshals and narcotics agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a federal air marshal and a narcotics agent. Additionally, a narcotics agent has an average salary of $65,852, which is higher than the $46,065 average annual salary of a federal air marshal.

The top three skills for a federal air marshal include federal air, surveillance detection and emergency situations. The most important skills for a narcotics agent are patrol, criminal investigations, and crime scenes.

Federal air marshal vs narcotics agent overview

	Federal Air Marshal	Narcotics Agent
Yearly salary	$46,065	$65,852
Hourly rate	$22.15	$31.66
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	2,188	25,101
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Federal air marshal vs narcotics agent salary

Federal air marshals and narcotics agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Federal Air Marshal	Narcotics Agent
Average salary	$46,065	$65,852
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $78,000	Between $44,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between federal air marshal and narcotics agent education

There are a few differences between a federal air marshal and a narcotics agent in terms of educational background:

	Federal Air Marshal	Narcotics Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Federal air marshal vs narcotics agent demographics

Here are the differences between federal air marshals' and narcotics agents' demographics:

	Federal Air Marshal	Narcotics Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between federal air marshal and narcotics agent duties and responsibilities

Federal air marshal example responsibilities.

Lead 70 felony-level investigations which ensure the safety and security of over 7K personnel and 3.4B in DoD resources.
Analyze and enter civil subpoenas for service throughout the district.
Update project status' weekly into DAPTIV a project management software available to the USMS.
Seize illegal drugs, firearms, and vehicles used in the commission of an offense.
Present formal and informal briefings within OPM and to other agencies ensuring a wide understanding of suitability matters.
Safeguard sensitive, classify information in accordance with DoD policies and regulations and interpret government, corporate or client policies.

Narcotics agent example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Conduct searches of all Latin American and Caribbean AA flights inbound and outbound for illegal narcotics and firearms.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.

Federal air marshal vs narcotics agent skills

Common federal air marshal skills

Federal Air, 19%
Surveillance Detection, 8%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Firearms Proficiency, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 6%
Air Carriers, 6%

Common narcotics agent skills

Patrol, 17%
Criminal Investigations, 14%
Crime Scenes, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Electronic Surveillance, 9%
Subpoenas, 5%

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Federal Air Marshal
Federal Air Marshal vs Narcotics Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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