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The differences between special agents and senior investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a special agent and a senior investigator. Additionally, a senior investigator has an average salary of $61,240, 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 senior investigator are senior level management, local law enforcement, and claims handling.
| Special Agent | Senior Investigator | |
| Yearly salary | $60,916 | $61,240 |
| Hourly rate | $29.29 | $29.44 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,232 | 4,525 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 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.
As a senior investigator, you will be responsible for managing investigations for crimes, including corruption, organized crime, and fraud. You will work closely with the district attorney and law enforcement to investigate and solve these crimes. This role will require you to perform other additional duties, including collecting DNA samples from the crime scene, suspects and victims, organizing live training on risk, compliance, and ethics, and testifying in criminal and civil courts, civil service hearings, and ethics commission.
Special agents and senior investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Agent | Senior Investigator | |
| Average salary | $60,916 | $61,240 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $85,000 | Between $35,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Frederick, MD |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Maryland |
| Best paying company | BNSF Railway | DLA Piper |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a special agent and a senior investigator in terms of educational background:
| Special Agent | Senior Investigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between special agents' and senior investigators' demographics:
| Special Agent | Senior Investigator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% |
| 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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |