Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between police officers and criminal investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a criminal investigator has an average salary of $54,520, which is higher than the $52,638 average annual salary of a police officer.
The top three skills for a police officer include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a criminal investigator are investigative reports, resourcefulness, and firearms.
| Police Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Yearly salary | $52,638 | $54,520 |
| Hourly rate | $25.31 | $26.21 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 116,287 | 5,131 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
A criminal investigator is a law enforcement professional who endeavors to solve felony crimes. Criminal investigators may work alone or as a member of an investigative team whose goal is to uncover the certainty of a case and potentially keep suspects to prevent the ensuing criminal activity. Their tasks and responsibilities depend on various job functions and specialties. They may specialize in the information and evidence of a crime scene, conduct interviews and searches, or perform surveillance.
Police officers and criminal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Average salary | $52,638 | $54,520 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $71,000 | Between $34,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | National Railroad Passenger Corporation |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a police officer and a criminal investigator in terms of educational background:
| Police Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | - |
Here are the differences between police officers' and criminal investigators' demographics:
| Police Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 9% |