Private investigator vs skip tracer

The differences between private investigators and skip tracers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a private investigator and a skip tracer. Additionally, a private investigator has an average salary of $48,019, which is higher than the $36,545 average annual salary of a skip tracer.

The top three skills for a private investigator include background checks, background investigations and video surveillance. The most important skills for a skip tracer are debt collection, outbound calls, and skip trace.

Private investigator vs skip tracer overview

	Private Investigator	Skip Tracer
Yearly salary	$48,019	$36,545
Hourly rate	$23.09	$17.57
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	6,675	1,464
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	High School Diploma, 29%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Private investigator vs skip tracer salary

Private investigators and skip tracers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Private Investigator	Skip Tracer
Average salary	$48,019	$36,545
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $78,000	Between $20,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between private investigator and skip tracer education

There are a few differences between a private investigator and a skip tracer in terms of educational background:

	Private Investigator	Skip Tracer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	High School Diploma, 29%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Bakersfield

Private investigator vs skip tracer demographics

Here are the differences between private investigators' and skip tracers' demographics:

	Private Investigator	Skip Tracer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between private investigator and skip tracer duties and responsibilities

Private investigator example responsibilities.

Manage all business reporting to include; payroll, taxes, client billing, account reconciliations and compliance reports.
Take ownership of the queue and promptly escalate any issues or obstacles to completing daily SAR filings
Conduct SIU, fraud, criminal, civil, and exploratory investigations as defined in client contracts.
Conduct different types of SIU investigations as well as civil, criminal, and asset background courthouse checks.
Serve subpoenas, coordinate witness court appearances, compile information from interviews, and developed/maintain community and informant contacts.
Create quality control documentation associate with manufacturing process, raw materials and quality testing procedures according to corporate and FDA guidelines.

Skip tracer example responsibilities.

Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Utilize various skip-tracing services such as Accurint and TheWorkNumber in order to locate consumers and verify employment for account recovery purposes.

Private investigator vs skip tracer skills

Common private investigator skills

Background Checks, 15%
Background Investigations, 12%
Video Surveillance, 12%
Subpoenas, 5%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Computer Database, 4%

Common skip tracer skills

Debt Collection, 25%
Outbound Calls, 11%
Skip Trace, 7%
Delinquent Accounts, 6%
Payment Arrangements, 5%
FDCPA, 5%