Average FBI Agent Salary
FBI Agent Pay Scale Compared to Detectives

Want an FBI agent salary? Who wouldn't! With the right qualifications, your pay scale rises way quicker than a cop. You'll make $100,000 a year in no time

An FBI agent's wage is dependent on a number of factors, including what position you have, what ranking you have, and how many years you've been with the bureau.

On average, a starting FBI agent salary is around $64,000 per year.

But a senior ranking agent who has been with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 years can earn upwards of $100,000 annually.

In comparison, an average police officer salary or detective salary rests between $40,000 and $50,000.

Sure, you're interested in the salary (who wouldn't be), but what exactly does an FBI agent do?

Why Is an FBI Agent Salary So High?

fbi agent

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the primary investigative branch of the government, dealing in matters of national security. Their chief fields of operation include:

  • Counterterrorism
  • Counterintelligence
  • Public Corruption
  • Civil Rights
  • Organized Crime
  • Internet Crime

As an FBI agent, you would be responsible for participating in such assignments to secure the safety of the American people.

The FBI agent pay scale may be extraordinarily broad, but the requirements to join the bureau are fairly straight forward.

In the following sections we'll talk a bit more about FBI agent qualifications and the training in involved with becoming a full-fledged member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

If you want that FBI agent salary, you need to first become qualified. Let's find out how you can do just that.

FBI Agent Requirements

In order to become an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation you have to meet a set of certain qualifications, including:

fbi agent performing surveillance
  • Have a four year degree from an accredited college or university
  • Be at least 23 year old, but younger than 37
  • Be a United States citizen
  • Have at least three years of professional work experience on your resume
  • Have a legitimate driver's license

Aside from these strict requirements, you must also be willing to go anywhere in the FBI's jurisdiction while on assignment.

This means a lot of travel, and a lot of time away from home.

If being an agent of the FBI is still something you are interested in after learning these requirements, then take a look at the next section to find out what kind of training is involved in becoming one.

FBI Agent Training

One of the many FBI agent requirements is to get a degree.

You'll want a Bachelor's (or Master's if you go that far in your schooling) that relates to the specialty area you'll be working towards at the FBI. Such specialties include:

  • Accounting
  • Computer Science
  • Language
  • Law
  • Diversified

A lot of FBI agents also hold a degree in law.

Once you've been accepted by the Bureau, you'll travel to Quantico, Virginia, where you'll train at the U.S. Marine Corps base there for seventeen weeks.

It takes a lot of determination and perseverance to garner an FBI agent salary, but for those who can muster up the courage and strength, it's well worth the effort.

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