Intelligence analyst vs detective

The differences between intelligence analysts and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an intelligence analyst has an average salary of $77,752, which is higher than the $57,984 average annual salary of a detective.

The top three skills for an intelligence analyst include government agencies, national security and ISR. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Intelligence analyst vs detective overview

	Intelligence Analyst	Detective
Yearly salary	$77,752	$57,984
Hourly rate	$37.38	$27.88
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	21,390	56,521
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	-

What does an intelligence analyst do?

An intelligence analyst is responsible for collecting information from various sources, including security databases, law surveillance networks, past intelligence reports, geographic and mapping tools, and communication records to locate threats and prevent crime and terrorist activities. Intelligence analysts work with different national organizations to gather information on related criminal activities and determine patterns and support investigations. An intelligence analyst must be highly critical and analytical to connect data and capture enemies to ensure the public's safety and security.

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.

Intelligence analyst vs detective salary

Intelligence analysts and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Intelligence Analyst	Detective
Average salary	$77,752	$57,984
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $106,000	Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between intelligence analyst and detective education

There are a few differences between an intelligence analyst and a detective in terms of educational background:

	Intelligence Analyst	Detective
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	York College of Pennsylvania	University of Arizona

Intelligence analyst vs detective demographics

Here are the differences between intelligence analysts' and detectives' demographics:

	Intelligence Analyst	Detective
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	9%	9%

Differences between intelligence analyst and detective duties and responsibilities

Intelligence analyst example responsibilities.

Collaborate with the ITC and J2 to offer new ideas to accomplish overall mission successes.
Lead development team integrating this pivotal crew position into the AF DCGS weapon system construct.
Recruit best-in-class suppliers, utilizing the RFP process and negotiate contracts to achieve cost improvements while meeting stake-holder needs.
Develop, coordinate, and manage OSINT products by using a team of local-national subject matter experts throughout the AO.
Lead RFx process gathering functional requirements, identifying potential suppliers, and executing bidding, evaluation, and supplier selection.
Communicate with higher level echelons to distribute and manage non-organic ISR assets.

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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.

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Intelligence analyst vs detective skills

Common intelligence analyst skills

Government Agencies, 8%
National Security, 8%
ISR, 6%
Combat, 6%
Intelligence Analysis, 5%
Intelligence Community, 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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Updated January 8, 2025

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