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The differences between police cadets 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 $33,243 average annual salary of a police cadet.
The top three skills for a police cadet include patrol, traffic control and public safety. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Police Cadet | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $33,243 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $15.98 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 94,220 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Police cadets require multiple police department-relevant skills in traffic control, police reports, public safety, and special events. Those who choose this career will be responsible for participating in training programs that will introduce them to the fundamentals of law enforcement and prepare them for becoming police officers, supporting police operations like traffic control, working on criminal investigation, and performing administrative duties at the station.
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.
Police cadets and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Cadet | Detective | |
| Average salary | $33,243 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $47,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Meridian Township | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a police cadet and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Police Cadet | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between police cadets' and detectives' demographics:
| Police Cadet | Detective | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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 | 7% | 9% |