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The differences between petty officers and lieutenants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lieutenant has an average salary of $47,781, which is higher than the $39,336 average annual salary of a petty officer.
The top three skills for a petty officer include preventative maintenance, law enforcement and logistics. The most important skills for a lieutenant are public safety, patrol, and direct supervision.
| Petty Officer | Lieutenant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,336 | $47,781 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $22.97 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 69,776 | 79,272 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A petty officer is a non-commissioned navy officer who is responsible for supervising the day-to-day activities of junior sailors and making sure that they have a productive day. Petty officers with more experience are expected to provide training in basic skills to their junior petty officers. Once a petty officer is reprimanded, first-class petty officers may conduct discipline by ordering those reprimanded to do extra military instruction or extra work within the division. Petty officers are also required to meet all the requirements for surface warfare qualification.
A lieutenant is responsible for overseeing operations in police departments, evaluating departmental cases, cooperating in law enforcement investigations, monitoring internal activities, and ensuring the safety and security of the premises. Lieutenants also enforce rules and regulations for everyone's strict compliance, inspect police department facilities, and identify serious offenses. They also confiscate violating items, document any evidence for further investigation. A lieutenant must have excellent leadership skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the law regulations to maintain the credibility and integrity of the police operations.
Petty officers and lieutenants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Petty Officer | Lieutenant | |
| Average salary | $39,336 | $47,781 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $62,000 | Between $41,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Denver, CO |
| Highest paying state | - | Colorado |
| Best paying company | - | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a petty officer and a lieutenant in terms of educational background:
| Petty Officer | Lieutenant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between petty officers' and lieutenants' demographics:
| Petty Officer | Lieutenant | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |