Highway patrol officer vs officer candidate

The differences between highway patrol officers and officers candidate can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an officer candidate has an average salary of $44,036, 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 an officer candidate are platoon, combat, and leadership.

Highway patrol officer vs officer candidate overview

	Highway Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Yearly salary	$38,315	$44,036
Hourly rate	$18.42	$21.17
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	76,558	55,985
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Highway patrol officer vs officer candidate salary

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

	Highway Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Average salary	$38,315	$44,036
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $25,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between highway patrol officer and officer candidate education

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

	Highway Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Bakersfield

Highway patrol officer vs officer candidate demographics

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

	Highway Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
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, 12.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between highway patrol officer and officer candidate 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

Officer candidate example responsibilities.

Lead a platoon of officer candidates through physical training warm-ups and cool downs, focusing on proper technique and execution.
Manage procurement operations and export-import logistics operations of recreational vehicles from U.S. to Venezuela.
Garrison leadership positions include serving as platoon leader and squad leader
Apply leadership, management and supervision techniques when receiving operational orders, disseminating information and assigning mission essential tasks.
Complete physical testing standards as well as many academic exams that analyze leadership potential as well as mental cognitive capabilities.
Join extracurricular ROTC activities, such as color guard.

Highway patrol officer vs officer candidate skills

Common highway patrol officer skills

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

Common officer candidate skills

Platoon, 15%
Combat, 11%
Leadership, 9%
Physical Fitness Test, 9%
Logistics, 6%
Physical Fitness Training, 6%

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Highway Patrol Officer
Highway Patrol Officer vs Officer Candidate

Updated January 8, 2025

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