Highway patrol officer vs first officer

The differences between highway patrol officers and first officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a first officer has an average salary of $82,510, which is higher than the $38,315 average annual salary of a highway patrol officer.

The top three skills for a highway patrol officer include patrol, highway patrol and public safety. The most important skills for a first officer are FAA, CFR, and ATP.

Highway patrol officer vs first officer overview

	Highway Patrol Officer	First Officer
Yearly salary	$38,315	$82,510
Hourly rate	$18.42	$39.67
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	76,558	89,899
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Highway patrol officer vs first officer salary

Highway patrol officers and first officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Highway Patrol Officer	First Officer
Average salary	$38,315	$82,510
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $56,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	-	Buffalo, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Lynden
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between highway patrol officer and first officer education

There are a few differences between a highway patrol officer and a first officer in terms of educational background:

	Highway Patrol Officer	First Officer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Aviation
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY Farmingdale

Highway patrol officer vs first officer demographics

Here are the differences between highway patrol officers' and first officers' demographics:

	Highway Patrol Officer	First Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1%	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between highway patrol officer and first officer duties and responsibilities

Highway patrol officer example responsibilities.

Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
Patrol an assign area on a departmentally issue motorcycle in the protection of life and property.
Handle security patrols, civil disturbance, criminal investigation, accident investigation and firearms certification training to local officers.
Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville

First officer example responsibilities.

Execute and monitor strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
Experience with EFIS, FMS and RNAV.
Base on the Embraer [] fleet
Operate a Lear 35 and 60
Contact drone companies in the UK for possible collaboration.
Discover new construction trends in the UK via showrooms.

Highway patrol officer vs first officer skills

Common highway patrol officer skills

Patrol, 46%
Highway Patrol, 15%
Public Safety, 13%
Field Training, 7%
Vehicle Inspections, 7%
Traffic Crashes, 2%

Common first officer skills

FAA, 32%
CFR, 27%
ATP, 24%
PIC, 5%
Pilot-In-Command, 4%
Flight Operations, 1%

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Highway Patrol Officer
Highway Patrol Officer vs First Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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