Federal investigator vs special agent

The differences between federal investigators and special 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 investigator and a special agent. Additionally, a special agent has an average salary of $60,916, 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 special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.

Federal investigator vs special agent overview

	Federal Investigator	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$50,277	$60,916
Hourly rate	$24.17	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	5,213	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Federal investigator vs special agent salary

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

	Federal Investigator	Special Agent
Average salary	$50,277	$60,916
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $76,000	Between $43,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between federal investigator and special agent education

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

	Federal Investigator	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Federal investigator vs special agent demographics

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

	Federal Investigator	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between federal investigator and special agent 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).

Special agent example responsibilities.

Manage a team of field supervisors on a project to modernize and improve the ATF system of office inspection.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Follow up on tips receive from a variety of sources, including patrol officers, community members, and confidential informants.
Conduct detailed and precise SIU investigations involving insurance fraud.
Authore products highly praise by senior FBI and DOJ officials.
Interview witnesses, gather evidence and prepare cases for litigation.

Federal investigator vs special agent skills

Common federal investigator skills

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

Common special agent skills

Professional Work, 73%
National Security, 8%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%
Search Warrants, 2%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 2%
Counterintelligence Investigations, 1%