Major case detective vs special agent

The differences between major case detectives and special agents 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 special agent. Additionally, a special agent has an average salary of $60,916, 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 special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.

Major case detective vs special agent overview

	Major Case Detective	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$44,241	$60,916
Hourly rate	$21.27	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	23,105	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Major case detective vs special agent salary

Major case detectives and special agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Major Case Detective	Special Agent
Average salary	$44,241	$60,916
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $66,000	Between $43,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between major case detective and special agent education

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

	Major Case Detective	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Major case detective vs special agent demographics

Here are the differences between major case detectives' and special agents' demographics:

	Major Case Detective	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
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, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between major case detective and special agent 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.

Special agent example responsibilities.

Manage a team of field supervisors on a project to modernize and improve the ATF system of office inspection.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Follow up on tips receive from a variety of sources, including patrol officers, community members, and confidential informants.
Conduct detailed and precise SIU investigations involving insurance fraud.
Authore products highly praise by senior FBI and DOJ officials.
Interview witnesses, gather evidence and prepare cases for litigation.

Major case detective vs special agent skills

Common major case detective skills

Criminal Investigations, 100%

Common special agent skills

Professional Work, 73%
National Security, 8%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%
Search Warrants, 2%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 2%
Counterintelligence Investigations, 1%