Undercover agent vs federal air marshal

The differences between undercover agents and federal air marshals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an undercover agent and a federal air marshal. Additionally, an undercover agent has an average salary of $67,706, which is higher than the $46,065 average annual salary of a federal air marshal.

The top three skills for an undercover agent include law enforcement agencies, and . The most important skills for a federal air marshal are federal air, surveillance detection, and emergency situations.

Undercover agent vs federal air marshal overview

	Undercover Agent	Federal Air Marshal
Yearly salary	$67,706	$46,065
Hourly rate	$32.55	$22.15
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	82,478	2,188
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Undercover agent vs federal air marshal salary

Undercover agents and federal air marshals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Undercover Agent	Federal Air Marshal
Average salary	$67,706	$46,065
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $125,000	Between $27,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between undercover agent and federal air marshal education

There are a few differences between an undercover agent and a federal air marshal in terms of educational background:

	Undercover Agent	Federal Air Marshal
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Undercover agent vs federal air marshal demographics

Here are the differences between undercover agents' and federal air marshals' demographics:

	Undercover Agent	Federal Air Marshal
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.9% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between undercover agent and federal air marshal duties and responsibilities

Undercover agent example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Serve as ATF case agent and undercover agent on numerous firearms and narcotics trafficking cases.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.

Federal air marshal example responsibilities.

Lead 70 felony-level investigations which ensure the safety and security of over 7K personnel and 3.4B in DoD resources.
Analyze and enter civil subpoenas for service throughout the district.
Update project status' weekly into DAPTIV a project management software available to the USMS.
Seize illegal drugs, firearms, and vehicles used in the commission of an offense.
Present formal and informal briefings within OPM and to other agencies ensuring a wide understanding of suitability matters.
Safeguard sensitive, classify information in accordance with DoD policies and regulations and interpret government, corporate or client policies.

Undercover agent vs federal air marshal skills

Common undercover agent skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 100%

Common federal air marshal skills

Federal Air, 19%
Surveillance Detection, 8%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Firearms Proficiency, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 6%
Air Carriers, 6%

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Undercover Agent vs Federal Air Marshal

Updated January 8, 2025

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