Postal inspector vs special agent

The differences between postal inspectors and special agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a postal inspector and a special agent. Additionally, a postal inspector has an average salary of $68,901, which is higher than the $60,916 average annual salary of a special agent.

The top three skills for a postal inspector include bank fraud, law enforcement agencies and criminal investigations. The most important skills for a special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.

Postal inspector vs special agent overview

	Postal Inspector	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$68,901	$60,916
Hourly rate	$33.13	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	20,088	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Postal inspector vs special agent salary

Postal inspectors and special agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Postal Inspector	Special Agent
Average salary	$68,901	$60,916
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $119,000	Between $43,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between postal inspector and special agent education

There are a few differences between a postal inspector and a special agent in terms of educational background:

	Postal Inspector	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Postal inspector vs special agent demographics

Here are the differences between postal inspectors' and special agents' demographics:

	Postal Inspector	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 76.1% Female, 23.9%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	9%	9%

Differences between postal inspector and special agent duties and responsibilities

Postal inspector example responsibilities.

Manage customs service's facility and team in the immediate AO to active military and DoD civilians.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Experience obtaining grand jury subpoenas and have obtained and serve federal search, arrest and asset forfeiture warrants.
Perform background investigations of employees applying for security positions within the USPS.
Review and enforce the application of state laws and regulations pertaining to the CDFA.
Serve subpoenas to witnesses, suspects, financial institutions, internet service providers, etc.

Special agent example responsibilities.

Manage a team of field supervisors on a project to modernize and improve the ATF system of office inspection.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Follow up on tips receive from a variety of sources, including patrol officers, community members, and confidential informants.
Conduct detailed and precise SIU investigations involving insurance fraud.
Authore products highly praise by senior FBI and DOJ officials.
Interview witnesses, gather evidence and prepare cases for litigation.

Postal inspector vs special agent skills

Common postal inspector skills

Bank Fraud, 15%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 12%
Criminal Investigations, 9%
Postal Service, 9%
Subpoenas, 8%
Inspection Services, 7%

Common special agent skills

Professional Work, 73%
National Security, 8%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%
Search Warrants, 2%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 2%
Counterintelligence Investigations, 1%