Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between surveillance operators and surveillance investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a surveillance investigator has an average salary of $45,807, which is higher than the $32,930 average annual salary of a surveillance operator.
The top three skills for a surveillance operator include CCTV, patrol and table games. The most important skills for a surveillance investigator are surveillance video, video evidence, and insurance claims.
| Surveillance Operator | Surveillance Investigator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,930 | $45,807 |
| Hourly rate | $15.83 | $22.02 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 102,835 | 4,912 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Keeping the high safety and confidentiality of a particular company is the work of the Surveillance Operator. He/She must use special cameras to monitor all sorts of activities inside the company or factory. It seems to be a risky job as they also monitor the parking activities in a company.
A surveillance investigator specializes in gathering credible information related to the subject of an investigation. Typically working for private companies or independently, a surveillance investigator's responsibilities revolve around arranging surveillance systems such as cameras and microphones, conducting background checks, interviewing potential witnesses, and looking into illegal activities. It is also vital to gather evidence and upload them into a secured database. Furthermore, there are instances when a surveillance investigator must produce reports about the progress of cases, analyze pieces of evidence, and present findings.
Surveillance operators and surveillance investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surveillance Operator | Surveillance Investigator | |
| Average salary | $32,930 | $45,807 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $50,000 | Between $31,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a surveillance operator and a surveillance investigator in terms of educational background:
| Surveillance Operator | Surveillance Investigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between surveillance operators' and surveillance investigators' demographics:
| Surveillance Operator | Surveillance Investigator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 24.6% Asian, 5.0% White, 51.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |