Narcotics agent vs special agent

The differences between narcotics agents 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 narcotics agent and a special agent. Additionally, a narcotics agent has an average salary of $65,852, which is higher than the $60,916 average annual salary of a special agent.

The top three skills for a narcotics agent include patrol, criminal investigations and crime scenes. The most important skills for a special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.

Narcotics agent vs special agent overview

	Narcotics Agent	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$65,852	$60,916
Hourly rate	$31.66	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	25,101	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Narcotics agent vs special agent salary

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

	Narcotics Agent	Special Agent
Average salary	$65,852	$60,916
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $97,000	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 narcotics agent and special agent education

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

	Narcotics Agent	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Narcotics agent vs special agent demographics

Here are the differences between narcotics agents' and special agents' demographics:

	Narcotics Agent	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
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, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between narcotics agent and special 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.

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.

Narcotics agent vs special agent skills

Common narcotics agent skills

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

Common special agent skills

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