Investigator vs undercover operator

The differences between investigators and undercover operators 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 an undercover operator. Additionally, an investigator has an average salary of $71,406, which is higher than the $39,586 average annual salary of an undercover operator.

Investigator vs undercover operator overview

	Investigator	Undercover Operator
Yearly salary	$71,406	$39,586
Hourly rate	$34.33	$19.03
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,085	30,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Investigator vs undercover operator salary

Investigators and undercover operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Investigator	Undercover Operator
Average salary	$71,406	$39,586
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $119,000	Between $26,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Apple	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between investigator and undercover operator education

There are a few differences between an investigator and an undercover operator in terms of educational background:

	Investigator	Undercover Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Investigator vs undercover operator demographics

Here are the differences between investigators' and undercover operators' demographics:

	Investigator	Undercover Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
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, 12.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between investigator and undercover operator 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.

Undercover operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Cooperate with NYPD and DEA in the investigation and apprehension of employees involve in illegal behavior
Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
Operate fixed position and PTZ cameras from a desktop computer.

Investigator vs undercover operator 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 undercover operator skills

Investigator vs. similar jobs

Investigator related careers

Investigator related jobs

Investigator jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Protective Service Industry
Investigator
Investigator vs Undercover Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs