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The differences between police sergeants and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police sergeant has an average salary of $65,562, which is higher than the $57,984 average annual salary of a detective.
The top three skills for a police sergeant include patrol, public safety and emergency situations. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Police Sergeant | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $65,562 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $31.52 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,493 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Police Sergeant is responsible for supervising patrol officers and agents, as assigned. They oversee and assess the performance of subordinates, such as disciplinary actions, continued training, and counseling.
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 sergeants and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Sergeant | Detective | |
| Average salary | $65,562 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $89,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Cruz, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Loyola University Maryland | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a police sergeant and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Police Sergeant | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between police sergeants' and detectives' demographics:
| Police Sergeant | Detective | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | 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 | 11% | 9% |