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The differences between officers and special agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special agent has an average salary of $60,916, 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 special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.
| Officer | Special Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $52,506 | $60,916 |
| Hourly rate | $25.24 | $29.29 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 114,267 | 46,232 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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 special agent is responsible for investigating law violations and criminal activities by collecting pieces of evidence, including witnesses' testimonies, to release a warrant of arrest and initiate prosecution. Special agents work closely with other law enforcement agencies to identify threats, analyze occurring criminal activities, and connect intelligence records through observation and field investigations. They also attend court proceedings to present evidence for court decisions. A special agent must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, assessing unusual situations, and handling suspicious activities.
Officers and special agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Officer | Special Agent | |
| Average salary | $52,506 | $60,916 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $103,000 | Between $43,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | BNSF Railway |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an officer and a special agent in terms of educational background:
| Officer | Special Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between officers' and special agents' demographics:
| Officer | Special Agent | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| 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, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |