Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between special agents and assets protection specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special agent has an average salary of $60,916, which is higher than the $42,374 average annual salary of an assets protection specialist.
The top three skills for a special agent include professional work, national security and local law enforcement. The most important skills for an assets protection specialist are CCTV, physical security, and exception reports.
| Special Agent | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,916 | $42,374 |
| Hourly rate | $29.29 | $20.37 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,232 | 83,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 44 | 33 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A special agent is responsible for investigating law violations and criminal activities by collecting pieces of evidence, including witnesses' testimonies, to release a warrant of arrest and initiate prosecution. Special agents work closely with other law enforcement agencies to identify threats, analyze occurring criminal activities, and connect intelligence records through observation and field investigations. They also attend court proceedings to present evidence for court decisions. A special agent must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, assessing unusual situations, and handling suspicious activities.
An assets protection specialist is an individual who is responsible for implementing safety and environmental programs to their assigned store or multiple stores as well as prevent financial loss caused by theft and fraud. Asset protection specialists are required to monitor the store's physical security and audit electronic article surveillance. They also prepare accurate and detailed case reports and interact with law enforcement as well as testify in criminal and civil court actions. Asset protection specialists must also report any hazardous or unsafe condition to the manager on duty.
Special agents and assets protection specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Agent | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Average salary | $60,916 | $42,374 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $85,000 | Between $22,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Arlington, VA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | BNSF Railway | Credit Suisse |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a special agent and an assets protection specialist in terms of educational background:
| Special Agent | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between special agents' and assets protection specialists' demographics:
| Special Agent | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 33 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |