Narcotics agent vs criminal investigative agent

The differences between narcotics agents and criminal investigative 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 narcotics agent and a criminal investigative agent. Additionally, a narcotics agent has an average salary of $65,852, which is higher than the $56,775 average annual salary of a criminal investigative agent.

The top three skills for a narcotics agent include patrol, criminal investigations and crime scenes. The most important skills for a criminal investigative agent are physical evidence, law enforcement agencies, and surveillance operations.

Narcotics agent vs criminal investigative agent overview

	Narcotics Agent	Criminal Investigative Agent
Yearly salary	$65,852	$56,775
Hourly rate	$31.66	$27.30
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	25,101	25,834
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Narcotics agent vs criminal investigative agent salary

Narcotics agents and criminal investigative agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Narcotics Agent	Criminal Investigative Agent
Average salary	$65,852	$56,775
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $97,000	Between $38,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between narcotics agent and criminal investigative agent education

There are a few differences between a narcotics agent and a criminal investigative agent in terms of educational background:

	Narcotics Agent	Criminal Investigative Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Narcotics agent vs criminal investigative agent demographics

Here are the differences between narcotics agents' and criminal investigative agents' demographics:

	Narcotics Agent	Criminal Investigative Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between narcotics agent and criminal investigative agent duties and responsibilities

Narcotics agent example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Conduct searches of all Latin American and Caribbean AA flights inbound and outbound for illegal narcotics and firearms.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.

Criminal investigative agent example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Deliver subpoenas and other legal requirements.
Provide direction and guidance on several high-profile homicide investigations, as well as numerous additional criminal and narcotics investigations.
Collect and disseminate intelligence and threat information concerning foreign intelligence and international terrorism to support commands using HUMINT sources.

Narcotics agent vs criminal investigative agent skills

Common narcotics agent skills

Patrol, 17%
Criminal Investigations, 14%
Crime Scenes, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Electronic Surveillance, 9%
Subpoenas, 5%

Common criminal investigative agent skills

Physical Evidence, 14%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Surveillance Operations, 8%
Subpoenas, 7%
Investigative Reports, 6%
Documentary Evidence, 5%

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Narcotics Agent
Narcotics Agent vs Criminal Investigative Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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