Special agent vs federal agent

The differences between special agents and federal agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a special agent, becoming a federal agent takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a federal agent has an average salary of $64,198, which is higher than the $60,916 average annual salary of a special agent.

The top three skills for a special agent include professional work, national security and local law enforcement. The most important skills for a federal agent are federal law enforcement, law enforcement agencies, and counter surveillance.

Special agent vs federal agent overview

	Special Agent	Federal Agent
Yearly salary	$60,916	$64,198
Hourly rate	$29.29	$30.86
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	46,232	26,065
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	48
Years of experience	2	6

Special agent vs federal agent salary

Special agents and federal agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Special Agent	Federal Agent
Average salary	$60,916	$64,198
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $85,000	Between $34,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	BNSF Railway	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between special agent and federal agent education

There are a few differences between a special agent and a federal agent in terms of educational background:

	Special Agent	Federal Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	SUNY Farmingdale

Special agent vs federal agent demographics

Here are the differences between special agents' and federal agents' demographics:

	Special Agent	Federal Agent
Average age	44	48
Gender ratio	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%	Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between special agent and federal agent duties and responsibilities

Special agent example responsibilities.

Manage a team of field supervisors on a project to modernize and improve the ATF system of office inspection.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Follow up on tips receive from a variety of sources, including patrol officers, community members, and confidential informants.
Conduct detailed and precise SIU investigations involving insurance fraud.
Authore products highly praise by senior FBI and DOJ officials.
Interview witnesses, gather evidence and prepare cases for litigation.

Federal agent example responsibilities.

Manage for multiple medical clients performing tasks such as medical billing, submitting insurance and verifying insurance including Medicare and Medicaid.
Manage for multiple medical clients performing tasks such as medical billing, submitting insurance and verifying insurance including Medicare and Medicaid.
Stress the importance of ATF's need to investigate all instances of arson direct at houses of worship.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.

Special agent vs federal agent skills

Common special agent skills

Professional Work, 73%
National Security, 8%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%
Search Warrants, 2%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 2%
Counterintelligence Investigations, 1%

Common federal agent skills

Federal Law Enforcement, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Counter Surveillance, 8%
Criminal Investigations, 8%
Firearms, 8%
Nuclear Weapons, 6%