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The differences between officers and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $52,506 average annual salary of an officer.
The top three skills for an officer include patrol, customer service and public safety. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Officer | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $52,506 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $25.24 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 114,267 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Officers and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Officer | Detective | |
| Average salary | $52,506 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $103,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an officer and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Officer | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between officers' and detectives' demographics:
| Officer | Detective | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |