Federal investigator vs investigators assistant

The differences between federal investigators and investigators assistants 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 investigator and an investigators assistant. Additionally, a federal investigator has an average salary of $50,277, which is higher than the $44,686 average annual salary of an investigators assistant.

The top three skills for a federal investigator include background investigations, law enforcement agencies and litigation. The most important skills for an investigators assistant are background checks, physical evidence, and law enforcement agencies.

Federal investigator vs investigators assistant overview

	Federal Investigator	Investigators Assistant
Yearly salary	$50,277	$44,686
Hourly rate	$24.17	$21.48
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	5,213	16,836
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Federal investigator vs investigators assistant salary

Federal investigators and investigators assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Federal Investigator	Investigators Assistant
Average salary	$50,277	$44,686
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $76,000	Between $23,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between federal investigator and investigators assistant education

There are a few differences between a federal investigator and an investigators assistant in terms of educational background:

	Federal Investigator	Investigators Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Federal investigator vs investigators assistant demographics

Here are the differences between federal investigators' and investigators assistants' demographics:

	Federal Investigator	Investigators Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%	Male, 35.8% Female, 64.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between federal investigator and investigators assistant duties and responsibilities

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).

Investigators assistant example responsibilities.

Utilize SharePoint and Accutrac to convert information, by ensuring constant communication with department records coordinator and project leads.
Maintain strong working knowledge of both OPM and CBP/ICE contracts.
Review of case materials and pre-review items for OPM investigations.
Communicate with the public through outreach presentations on EEOC laws.
Research, interpret and apply EEOC laws to assist with case determinations.
Document all patrol activities and occurrences, maintain records and prepare reports.

Federal investigator vs investigators assistant skills

Common federal investigator skills

Background Investigations, 10%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Litigation, 8%
Federal Agencies, 8%
Security Clearance, 6%
Subpoenas, 6%

Common investigators assistant skills

Background Checks, 10%
Physical Evidence, 9%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Background Investigations, 7%
Subpoenas, 6%

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Federal Investigator
Federal Investigator vs Investigators Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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