Undercover agent vs special agent

The differences between undercover agents and special agents 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 special agent. Additionally, an undercover agent has an average salary of $67,706, which is higher than the $60,916 average annual salary of a special agent.

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

Undercover agent vs special agent overview

	Undercover Agent	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$67,706	$60,916
Hourly rate	$32.55	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	82,478	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Undercover agent vs special agent salary

Undercover agents and special agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Undercover Agent	Special Agent
Average salary	$67,706	$60,916
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $125,000	Between $43,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between undercover agent and special agent education

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

	Undercover Agent	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Undercover agent vs special agent demographics

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

	Undercover Agent	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between undercover agent and special agent 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.

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.

Undercover agent vs special agent skills

Common undercover agent skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 100%

Common special agent skills

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