Federal investigator vs postal inspector

The differences between federal investigators and postal inspectors 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 a postal inspector. Additionally, a postal inspector has an average salary of $68,901, which is higher than the $50,277 average annual salary of a federal investigator.

The top three skills for a federal investigator include background investigations, law enforcement agencies and litigation. The most important skills for a postal inspector are bank fraud, law enforcement agencies, and criminal investigations.

Federal investigator vs postal inspector overview

	Federal Investigator	Postal Inspector
Yearly salary	$50,277	$68,901
Hourly rate	$24.17	$33.13
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	5,213	20,088
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Federal investigator vs postal inspector salary

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

	Federal Investigator	Postal Inspector
Average salary	$50,277	$68,901
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $76,000	Between $39,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between federal investigator and postal inspector education

There are a few differences between a federal investigator and a postal inspector in terms of educational background:

	Federal Investigator	Postal Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Federal investigator vs postal inspector demographics

Here are the differences between federal investigators' and postal inspectors' demographics:

	Federal Investigator	Postal Inspector
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%	Male, 76.1% Female, 23.9%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between federal investigator and postal inspector 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).

Postal inspector example responsibilities.

Manage customs service's facility and team in the immediate AO to active military and DoD civilians.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Experience obtaining grand jury subpoenas and have obtained and serve federal search, arrest and asset forfeiture warrants.
Perform background investigations of employees applying for security positions within the USPS.
Review and enforce the application of state laws and regulations pertaining to the CDFA.
Serve subpoenas to witnesses, suspects, financial institutions, internet service providers, etc.

Federal investigator vs postal inspector skills

Common federal investigator skills

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

Common postal inspector skills

Bank Fraud, 15%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 12%
Criminal Investigations, 9%
Postal Service, 9%
Subpoenas, 8%
Inspection Services, 7%

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Federal Investigator vs Postal Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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