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The differences between sergeants and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $48,557 average annual salary of a sergeant.
The top three skills for a sergeant include safety procedures, patrol and direct supervision. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Sergeant | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $48,557 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $23.34 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 79,335 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military. Furthermore, it is a Sergeant's responsibility to serve the public and report to the higher-ups, instill discipline to oneself, and serve as a role model to lower-ranked soldiers.
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.
Sergeants and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sergeant | Detective | |
| Average salary | $48,557 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $66,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a sergeant and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Sergeant | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | 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 sergeants' and detectives' demographics:
| Sergeant | Detective | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.5% 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% |