Licensed private investigator vs undercover operator

The differences between licensed private 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 a licensed private investigator and an undercover operator. Additionally, a licensed private investigator has an average salary of $47,204, which is higher than the $39,586 average annual salary of an undercover operator.

Licensed private investigator vs undercover operator overview

	Licensed Private Investigator	Undercover Operator
Yearly salary	$47,204	$39,586
Hourly rate	$22.69	$19.03
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,954	30,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Licensed private investigator vs undercover operator salary

Licensed private investigators and undercover operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Private Investigator	Undercover Operator
Average salary	$47,204	$39,586
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $74,000	Between $26,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between licensed private investigator and undercover operator education

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

	Licensed Private Investigator	Undercover Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Licensed private investigator vs undercover operator demographics

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

	Licensed Private Investigator	Undercover Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.1% 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 licensed private investigator and undercover operator duties and responsibilities

Licensed private investigator example responsibilities.

Manage and dispose of claims in litigation by preparing and developing strategy with defense counsel and consensus relative to litigation handling.
Deliver subpoenas, interview witnesses and clients, write reports, some surveillance experience.
Serve subpoenas and legal documents, supervise special events to include short and long term security operations.
Create quality control documentation associate with manufacturing process, raw materials and quality testing procedures according to corporate and FDA guidelines.
Identify and accurately report extremely time sensitive and confidential data in accordance with HIPPA guidelines.

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.

Licensed private investigator vs undercover operator skills

Common licensed private investigator skills

Background Checks, 11%
Child Abuse, 10%
Insurance Fraud, 9%
Background Investigations, 8%
Minimum Standards, 8%
Administrative Hearings, 6%

Common undercover operator skills

Licensed Private Investigator vs. similar jobs

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Licensed Private Investigator
Licensed Private Investigator vs Undercover Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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