Narcotics agent vs senior investigator

The differences between narcotics agents 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 narcotics agent and a senior investigator. Additionally, a narcotics agent has an average salary of $65,852, which is higher than the $61,240 average annual salary of a senior investigator.

The top three skills for a narcotics agent include patrol, criminal investigations and crime scenes. The most important skills for a senior investigator are senior level management, local law enforcement, and claims handling.

Narcotics agent vs senior investigator overview

	Narcotics Agent	Senior Investigator
Yearly salary	$65,852	$61,240
Hourly rate	$31.66	$29.44
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	25,101	4,525
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Narcotics agent vs senior investigator salary

Narcotics agents and senior investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Narcotics Agent	Senior Investigator
Average salary	$65,852	$61,240
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $97,000	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 narcotics agent and senior investigator education

There are a few differences between a narcotics agent and a senior investigator in terms of educational background:

	Narcotics Agent	Senior Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Narcotics agent vs senior investigator demographics

Here are the differences between narcotics agents' and senior investigators' demographics:

	Narcotics Agent	Senior Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
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, 11.8% 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 narcotics agent and senior investigator 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.

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.

Narcotics agent vs senior investigator skills

Common narcotics agent skills

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

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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Narcotics Agent
Narcotics Agent vs Senior Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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