Major case detective vs federal investigator

The differences between major case detectives and federal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a major case detective and a federal investigator. Additionally, a federal investigator has an average salary of $50,277, which is higher than the $44,241 average annual salary of a major case detective.

The top three skills for a major case detective include criminal investigations, and . The most important skills for a federal investigator are background investigations, law enforcement agencies, and litigation.

Major case detective vs federal investigator overview

	Major Case Detective	Federal Investigator
Yearly salary	$44,241	$50,277
Hourly rate	$21.27	$24.17
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	23,105	5,213
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Major case detective vs federal investigator salary

Major case detectives and federal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Major Case Detective	Federal Investigator
Average salary	$44,241	$50,277
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $66,000	Between $33,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between major case detective and federal investigator education

There are a few differences between a major case detective and a federal investigator in terms of educational background:

	Major Case Detective	Federal Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Major case detective vs federal investigator demographics

Here are the differences between major case detectives' and federal investigators' demographics:

	Major Case Detective	Federal Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 2.7% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between major case detective and federal investigator duties and responsibilities

Major case detective example responsibilities.

Apply proactive patrol, initiated/effect arrests, provide expert court testimonies, investigate crimes, and write detailed incident/investigative reports.
Supervise all-source intelligence collection, cycle and processes in accordance with FBI and DEA investigative requirements regarding information gaps.

Federal investigator example responsibilities.

Investigate and open cases on customers and non-customers who have potentially engage in activity which goes against federally mandate BSA/AML regulations.
Handle and safeguard sensitive and confidential information, including personal identifiable information (PII).

Major case detective vs federal investigator skills

Common major case detective skills

Criminal Investigations, 100%

Common federal investigator skills

Background Investigations, 10%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Litigation, 8%
Federal Agencies, 8%
Security Clearance, 6%
Subpoenas, 6%

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Major Case Detective
Major Case Detective vs Federal Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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