Major case detective vs senior investigator

The differences between major case detectives and senior 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 senior investigator. Additionally, a senior investigator has an average salary of $61,240, 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 senior investigator are senior level management, local law enforcement, and claims handling.

Major case detective vs senior investigator overview

	Major Case Detective	Senior Investigator
Yearly salary	$44,241	$61,240
Hourly rate	$21.27	$29.44
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	23,105	4,525
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Major case detective vs senior investigator salary

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

	Major Case Detective	Senior Investigator
Average salary	$44,241	$61,240
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $66,000	Between $35,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	-	Frederick, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	DLA Piper
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between major case detective and senior investigator education

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

	Major Case Detective	Senior Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Major case detective vs senior investigator demographics

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

	Major Case Detective	Senior Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between major case detective and senior 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.

Senior investigator example responsibilities.

Investigate allegations of suspect FWA / prioritize and manage case load / maintain comprehensive case files.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Create budget friendly evidence collection boxes for investigations and patrol officers.
Send specimens to laboratory to obtain DNA.
Participate on committees and teams supporting GMP compliance programs.
Collect possible DNA samples from the scene, victims, and suspects.

Major case detective vs senior investigator skills

Common major case detective skills

Criminal Investigations, 100%

Common senior investigator skills

Senior Level Management, 13%
Local Law Enforcement, 9%
Claims Handling, 8%
Court Proceedings, 8%
Data Analysis, 4%
Management System, 3%

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Major Case Detective
Major Case Detective vs Senior Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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