Forensic investigator vs detective

The differences between forensic investigators and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $52,267 average annual salary of a forensic investigator.

The top three skills for a forensic investigator include incident response, windows and FTK. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Forensic investigator vs detective overview

	Forensic Investigator	Detective
Yearly salary	$52,267	$57,984
Hourly rate	$25.13	$27.88
Growth rate	11%	3%
Number of jobs	5,032	56,521
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	4	-

What does a forensic investigator do?

A forensic investigator is responsible for collecting evidence and pieces of a clue to solve a complicated incident. A forensic investigator must have strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to handle various cases that would require intensive research and scientific principles application. Forensic investigators usually work closely with law enforcement personnel to identify all possible sources and secure evidence for further examination. They also study the scene where the incident happened, document observations, creating investigation reports, and communicating with several witnesses that would support possible claims.

What does a detective do?

A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.

Forensic investigator vs detective salary

Forensic investigators and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Investigator	Detective
Average salary	$52,267	$57,984
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $98,000	Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between forensic investigator and detective education

There are a few differences between a forensic investigator and a detective in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Investigator	Detective
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Arizona

Forensic investigator vs detective demographics

Here are the differences between forensic investigators' and detectives' demographics:

	Forensic Investigator	Detective
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between forensic investigator and detective duties and responsibilities

Forensic investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Prepare investigative reports, scientific forensic analysis reports and other documents in support of civil litigation.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Prepare affidavits of information and apply for investigative or grand jury subpoenas and other legal orders necessary for a thorough investigation.
Present to schools, community organizations, and local corporations prevention techniques in a PowerPoint format.
Evaluate impressions for AFIS (automate fingerprint identification system) potential.

Detective example responsibilities.

Manage all ABC issues and applications for liquor licenses.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Monitor wire taps and conduct detailed surveillance of wire tap targets and associates.
Sole provider of data gathering from TIGTA's complaint management system and the IRS for biweekly phishing scam reports.
Connect GPS devices/recorder/audio/video by hard wiring to vehicle power for longer operations.
Optimize critical security of dignitaries by proficiently conducting foot and vehicle patrol of concentration areas.

Forensic investigator vs detective skills

Common forensic investigator skills

Incident Response, 17%
Windows, 12%
FTK, 11%
Litigation, 8%
Physical Evidence, 6%
Digital Evidence, 5%

Common detective skills

Physical Evidence, 15%
Patrol, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Crime Scenes, 5%
Insurance Fraud, 5%
Public Safety, 5%

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Forensic Investigator
Forensic Investigator vs Detective

Updated January 8, 2025

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