Principal investigator vs investigator

The differences between principal investigators and investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal investigator, becoming an investigator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal investigator has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $71,406 average annual salary of an investigator.

The top three skills for a principal investigator include patients, data collection and project management. The most important skills for an investigator are law enforcement agencies, management system, and customer service.

Principal investigator vs investigator overview

	Principal Investigator	Investigator
Yearly salary	$84,635	$71,406
Hourly rate	$40.69	$34.33
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	44,475	5,085
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	4	6

What does a principal investigator do?

A Principal Investigator is the primary person who is responsible for designing, conducting, and reporting a research project. They report to a designated official such as the department head or division chief.

What does an investigator do?

Criminal investigators play an essential role in criminal justice and law enforcement. Their job entails solving open cases that may take them weeks or even months to accomplish. Collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and arresting suspects are among their many tasks. They work at every level of criminal justice and law enforcement. For criminal investigators to succeed in their profession, they should have sound judgment, strong communication skills, ethical standards, physical fitness, and empathy. They also benefit from strong job prospects, in addition to an exciting and rewarding job.

Principal investigator vs investigator salary

Principal investigators and investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Investigator	Investigator
Average salary	$84,635	$71,406
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $120,000	Between $42,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Incyte	Apple
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between principal investigator and investigator education

There are a few differences between a principal investigator and an investigator in terms of educational background:

	Principal Investigator	Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Psychology	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	California State University - Bakersfield

Principal investigator vs investigator demographics

Here are the differences between principal investigators' and investigators' demographics:

	Principal Investigator	Investigator
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8%	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	8%

Differences between principal investigator and investigator duties and responsibilities

Principal investigator example responsibilities.

Serve chemistry project leads for two early-stage drug discovery projects.
Design, build and manage CADD, NMR and MRI facilities.
Attain IRB approval, recruit participants, analyze the data and present results
Manage outsource projects, and interact with vendors for API sourcing, and device components base on project needs.
Conduct research using industry standards: GCP, GLP, SORP and compliance with IRB.
Receive IRB approval and clearance for research

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Investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Manage all business reporting to include; payroll, taxes, client billing, account reconciliations and compliance reports.
Manage corporate-wide document production relative to complex litigation cases.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Collaborate with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF and IRS.
Write a detail case report, and attach all supporting documentation necessary to write up SAR's where necessary per BSA.

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Principal investigator vs investigator skills

Common principal investigator skills

Patients, 10%
Data Collection, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Technical Reports, 6%
FDA, 4%
Data Analysis, 4%

Common investigator skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Management System, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%
Senior Level Management, 4%
Child Abuse, 4%

Principal Investigator vs. similar jobs

Principal Investigator related careers

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Updated January 8, 2025

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