Investigator vs certified legal investigator

The differences between investigators and certified legal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an investigator and a certified legal investigator. Additionally, an investigator has an average salary of $71,406, which is higher than the $49,535 average annual salary of a certified legal investigator.

The top three skills for an investigator include law enforcement agencies, management system and customer service. The most important skills for a certified legal investigator are law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, and incident management.

Investigator vs certified legal investigator overview

	Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Yearly salary	$71,406	$49,535
Hourly rate	$34.33	$23.81
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,085	43,351
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Investigator vs certified legal investigator salary

Investigators and certified legal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Average salary	$71,406	$49,535
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $119,000	Between $27,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Apple	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between investigator and certified legal investigator education

There are a few differences between an investigator and a certified legal investigator in terms of educational background:

	Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Investigator vs certified legal investigator demographics

Here are the differences between investigators' and certified legal investigators' demographics:

	Investigator	Certified Legal Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 15.1% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 4.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between investigator and certified legal investigator duties and responsibilities

Investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Manage all business reporting to include; payroll, taxes, client billing, account reconciliations and compliance reports.
Manage corporate-wide document production relative to complex litigation cases.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Collaborate with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF and IRS.
Write a detail case report, and attach all supporting documentation necessary to write up SAR's where necessary per BSA.

Certified legal investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Take and submit DNA evidence.
Create quality control documentation associate with manufacturing process, raw materials and quality testing procedures according to corporate and FDA guidelines.
Perform surveillance of suspects using binoculars, cameras and camcorders.

Investigator vs certified legal investigator skills

Common investigator skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Management System, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%
Senior Level Management, 4%
Child Abuse, 4%

Common certified legal investigator skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 46%
Federal Agencies, 27%
Incident Management, 27%

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Investigator vs Certified Legal Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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