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The differences between public safety 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 $36,596 average annual salary of a public safety officer.
The top three skills for a public safety officer include patrol, patients and public safety. The most important skills for a criminal investigator are investigative reports, resourcefulness, and firearms.
| Public Safety Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Yearly salary | $36,596 | $54,520 |
| Hourly rate | $17.59 | $26.21 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 122,048 | 5,131 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Public relations assistants are professionals who are responsible for creating and distributing promotional materials to help clients increase their public image and awareness of their products and services. These assistants are required to help develop and distribute public relations materials such as brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and sell sheets. They must handle all the communications of their clients to the public by supervising social media content, press releases, and emails. Public relations assistants must also gather materials to be used in trade shows or client presentations.
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.
Public safety officers and criminal investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Safety Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Average salary | $36,596 | $54,520 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $34,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Britain, CT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | California |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | National Railroad Passenger Corporation |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a public safety officer and a criminal investigator in terms of educational background:
| Public Safety Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | - |
Here are the differences between public safety officers' and criminal investigators' demographics:
| Public Safety Officer | Criminal Investigator | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.6% 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% |