Staff sergeant vs detective sergeant

The differences between staff sergeants and detective sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective sergeant has an average salary of $52,546, which is higher than the $41,479 average annual salary of a staff sergeant.

The top three skills for a staff sergeant include combat, logistical support and emergency situations. The most important skills for a detective sergeant are patrol, evidence collection, and law enforcement agencies.

Staff sergeant vs detective sergeant overview

	Staff Sergeant	Detective Sergeant
Yearly salary	$41,479	$52,546
Hourly rate	$19.94	$25.26
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	68,521	938
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Staff sergeant vs detective sergeant salary

Staff sergeants and detective sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Sergeant	Detective Sergeant
Average salary	$41,479	$52,546
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $54,000	Between $40,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between staff sergeant and detective sergeant education

There are a few differences between a staff sergeant and a detective sergeant in terms of educational background:

	Staff Sergeant	Detective Sergeant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Staff sergeant vs detective sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between staff sergeants' and detective sergeants' demographics:

	Staff Sergeant	Detective Sergeant
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9%	Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between staff sergeant and detective sergeant duties and responsibilities

Staff sergeant example responsibilities.

Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
Facilitate meetings and submit weekly reports, briefings and PowerPoint slides.
Use varies Microsoft programs to create reports, memorandums, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and email.
Study activities relating to narcotics, money laundering, gangs, terrorism, or other national security threats.
Maintain and operate petroleum logistics operations.
Supervise and discipline airmen under direct supervision.

Detective sergeant example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Assist in writing standards for certification for the firearms unit.
Supervise detective squad, identify monthly investigation outcomes, create staffing schedules, perform stake-outs, monitor wire taps ,
Establish probable cause to obtain warrants, leading to arrests and the seizure of narcotics, firearms and other contraband.
Deliver subpoenas and other documents as requested by attorneys.
Supervise detectives attaining search warrants, subpoenas and financial/phone/computer records.

Staff sergeant vs detective sergeant skills

Common staff sergeant skills

Combat, 12%
Logistical Support, 8%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Platoon, 6%
NCO, 5%
Law Enforcement, 3%

Common detective sergeant skills

Patrol, 20%
Evidence Collection, 10%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Homicide, 6%
Burglary, 4%
Criminal Cases, 4%

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Protective Service Industry
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant vs Detective Sergeant

Updated January 8, 2025

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