A Special Agent's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Special Agent Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Special Agent's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $111,108
San Francisco: $109,891
Oakland: $107,576
San Jose, CA$111,108
San Francisco, CA$109,891
Oakland, CA$107,576
New York, NY$101,426
Paramus, NJ$100,193
Queens Village, NY$100,188
Passaic, NJ$100,105
Bergenfield, NJ$100,097
Stamford, CT$99,903
Huntington, NY$99,867
Newark, NJ$99,216
Bridgeport, CT$99,030
Vallejo, CA$98,855
New Brunswick, NJ$98,819
Petaluma, CA$98,767
Middlesex, NJ$98,599
Somerset, NJ$98,537
Santa Cruz, CA$98,423
Boston, MA$97,886
Monterey, CA$97,576
Seattle, WA$97,375
Santa Rosa, CA$97,357
Los Angeles, CA$97,331
Juneau, AK$97,102
Washington, DC$97,005
Orange, CA$96,691
Santa Ana, CA$96,459
Long Beach, CA$96,370
Anaheim, CA$96,353
Anchorage, AK$96,309
Santa Maria, CA$96,045
Everett, WA$96,027
Danbury, CT$95,717
Bremerton, WA$95,595
Tacoma, WA$95,278
New Suffolk, NY$95,276
Sacramento, CA$95,252
Santa Barbara, CA$95,155
Trenton, NJ$95,058
San Diego, CA$95,058
Brockton, MA$94,961
Fairbanks, AK$94,745
Lompoc, CA$94,521
Lowell, MA$94,449
Ventura, CA$94,432
Nashua, NH$94,415
Stockton, CA$94,406
Modesto, CA$93,763
Poughkeepsie, NY$93,569
Olympia, WA$93,402
Kennewick, WA$93,402
New Haven, CT$93,367
Lawrence, MA$93,049
Hartford, CT$92,961
Riverside, CA$92,944
New Bedford, MA$92,856
Richland, WA$92,856
Bakersfield, CA$92,732
San Bernardino, CA$92,697
New Britain, CT$92,688
Atlantic City, NJ$92,688
New London, CT$92,653
Norwich, CT$92,627
Portsmouth, NH$92,609
Boulder, CO$92,422
Portland, OR$92,301
Worcester, MA$92,292
Minneapolis, MN$92,019
Philadelphia, PA$91,895
Honolulu, HI$91,605
Saint Paul, MN$91,563
Vineland, NJ$91,543
Providence, RI$91,288
Chicago, IL$91,032
Bellingham, WA$90,926
Springfield, MA$90,856
Baltimore, MD$90,830
Chico, CA$90,609
Pittsfield, MA$90,372
Manchester, NH$90,204
Spokane, WA$89,817
Denver, CO$89,808
Albany, NY$89,394
Troy, NY$89,358
Nassau, NY$89,264
Schenectady, NY$89,174
Wilmington, DE$89,103
Burlington, VT$88,980
Salem, OR$88,944
Portland, ME$88,671
Yakima, WA$88,583
Rochester, MN$88,310
Reno, NV$88,266
Fresno, CA$88,266
Milwaukee, WI$88,187
Detroit, MI$88,099
Ann Arbor, MI$88,084
Allentown, PA$88,072
Colorado Springs, CO$87,923
Syracuse, NY$87,879
Carson City, NV$87,879
Houston, TX$87,755
Eugene, OR$87,711
Gary, IN$87,606
Springfield, OR$87,535
Bismarck, ND$87,517
Galveston, TX$87,456
Medford, OR$87,324
Fort Collins, CO$87,288
Concord, NH$87,244
Austin, TX$87,218
Mesa, AZ$87,033
Reading, PA$87,024
Phoenix, AZ$87,015
Dallas, TX$86,989
Saint Cloud, MN$86,904
Madison, WI$86,786
Utica, NY$86,548
Rochester, NY$86,407
Des Moines, IA$86,399
Raleigh, NC$86,390
Atlanta, GA$86,258
Battle Creek, MI$86,231
Salt Lake City, UT$86,205
Lancaster, PA$86,073
Harrisburg, PA$85,949
Kansas City, MO$85,861
Champaign, IL$85,844
Kansas City, KS$85,844
Fort Worth, TX$85,835
Columbus, OH$85,820
Boca Raton, FL$85,800
Pittsburgh, PA$85,764
Richmond, VA$85,729
Indianapolis, IN$85,712
Cleveland, OH$85,703
Las Vegas, NV$85,597
Cincinnati, OH$85,597
Petersburg, VA$85,465
Huntsville, AL$85,333
Lansing, MI$85,274
Lebanon, PA$85,262
Pueblo, CO$85,254
Appleton, WI$85,227
Buffalo, NY$85,192
Dayton, OH$85,165
Racine, WI$85,148
Charlotte, NC$85,139
Saint Louis, MO$85,113
York, PA$85,060
Elkhart, IN$85,060
Gastonia, NC$85,043
Billings, MT$85,022
Beaumont, TX$84,998
Lorain, OH$84,980
Benton Harbor, MI$84,963
Toledo, OH$84,945
Binghamton, NY$84,901
Rock Hill, SC$84,892
Rockford, IL$84,848
Springfield, IL$84,813
Elyria, OH$84,804
Fargo, ND$84,804
Flagstaff, AZ$84,743
Fort Lauderdale, FL$84,690
Duluth, MN$84,637
Miami, FL$84,637
Cheyenne, WY$84,575
Grand Forks, ND$84,575
Bangor, ME$84,381
Cedar Rapids, IA$84,285
Durham, NC$84,248
Louisville, KY$84,240
Grand Rapids, MI$84,223
Hialeah, FL$84,214
Casper, WY$84,091
Scranton, PA$83,985
New Orleans, LA$83,959
Virginia Beach, VA$83,950
Akron, OH$83,906
Peoria, IL$83,791
Sarasota, FL$83,774
Nashville, TN$83,712
Omaha, NE$83,712
Green Bay, WI$83,712
Baton Rouge, LA$83,668
Charleston, SC$83,650
Jamestown, NY$83,606
Davenport, IA$83,606
Tucson, AZ$83,562
Saint Petersburg, FL$83,509
Tampa, FL$83,492
Evansville, IN$83,439
Port Arthur, TX$83,439
Bradenton, FL$83,404
Santa Fe, NM$83,245
Orlando, FL$83,086
Clearwater, FL$83,060
Canton, OH$82,875
La Crosse, WI$82,875
Albuquerque, NM$82,822
Newport News, VA$82,813
High Point, NC$82,787
Ogden, UT$82,752
Corpus Christi, TX$82,681
Norfolk, VA$82,628
Laramie, WY$82,628
Rock Island, IL$82,576
Saginaw, MI$82,558
Jacksonville, FL$82,549
Salisbury, NC$82,532
Boise, ID$82,514
Moline, IL$82,470
Fort Myers, FL$82,443
Memphis, TN$82,426
Tulsa, OK$82,382
Waterloo, IA$82,329
Spartanburg, SC$82,241
Lincoln, NE$82,197
Fort Wayne, IN$82,179
Provo, UT$82,170
Cedar Falls, IA$82,065
San Antonio, TX$82,029
Greensboro, NC$81,994
South Bend, IN$81,985
Savannah, GA$81,888
Muskegon, MI$81,853
Birmingham, AL$81,844
Winston Salem, NC$81,801
Lake Charles, LA$81,589
Anderson, IN$81,571
Lexington, KY$81,545
Augusta, GA$81,518
Greenville, SC$81,518
Lima, OH$81,448
Wichita, KS$81,439
Tuscaloosa, AL$81,439
Columbia, SC$81,360
Springfield, OH$81,342
Asheville, NC$81,201
Bloomington, IN$81,140
Knoxville, TN$80,823
Shreveport, LA$80,814
Wilmington, NC$80,699
Roanoke, VA$80,699
Topeka, KS$80,541
Frankfort, KY$80,531
Oklahoma City, OK$80,470
Chillicothe, OH$80,435
Longview, TX$80,426
Melbourne, FL$80,417
Sioux Falls, SD$80,276
Mobile, AL$80,268
Terre Haute, IN$80,232
Altoona, PA$80,180
Amarillo, TX$80,118
Killeen, TX$80,091
Fayetteville, AR$80,021
Chattanooga, TN$79,995
Sioux City, IA$79,915
Idaho Falls, ID$79,898
Lynchburg, VA$79,827
Gainesville, FL$79,713
Portsmouth, OH$79,669
Little Rock, AR$79,651
Lafayette, LA$79,616
Youngstown, OH$79,616
Daytona Beach, FL$79,563
Clarksville, TN$79,554
Pensacola, FL$79,545
Temple, TX$79,539
Hopkinsville, KY$79,281
Erie, PA$79,263
Florence, SC$79,228
Charleston, WV$79,087
Great Falls, MT$79,043
Macon, GA$78,920
Tallahassee, FL$78,911
Fayetteville, NC$78,893
Waco, TX$78,876
Helena, MT$78,814
Pine Bluff, AR$78,781
Vincennes, IN$78,673
Lubbock, TX$78,638
Alamogordo, NM$78,585
Twin Falls, ID$78,506
Rapid City, SD$78,479
Jackson, MS$78,321
Huntington, WV$78,315
Greenville, MS$78,312
Parkersburg, WV$78,222
Montgomery, AL$78,206
Wichita Falls, TX$78,118
Springfield, MO$78,118
Biloxi, MS$78,074
Monroe, LA$77,986
Johnstown, PA$77,924
Sumter, SC$77,889
Columbus, GA$77,880
Pascagoula, MS$77,713
Abilene, TX$77,713
Kingsport, TN$77,484
Albany, GA$77,484
Gulfport, MS$77,458
Alexandria, LA$77,167
Fort Smith, AR$76,947
El Paso, TX$76,709
Las Cruces, NM$76,312
Harlingen, TX$76,089
Pocatello, ID$76,075
Florence, AL$75,960
Brownsville, TX$75,942
Mcallen, TX$75,757
Dothan, AL$75,634
Columbus, MS$75,111
Altus, OK$74,700
Lawton, OK$74,533
Pierre, SD$74,216
What Skills Can Increase a Special Agent's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Presentation (Mentioned in 6.24% Job Postings): Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
Prospecting (Mentioned in 2.75% Job Postings): Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (second – exploration) of a territory. It is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking. Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by commercial mineral companies to find commercially viable ore deposits. Prospecting is physical labour, involving traversing (traditionally on foot or on horseback), panning, sifting and outcrop investigation, looking for signs of mineralisation. In some areas a prospector must also make claims, meaning they must erect posts with the appropriate placards on all four corners of a desired land they wish to prospect and register this claim before they may take samples. In other areas publicly held lands are open to prospecting without staking a mining claim.
Work Ethic (Mentioned in 2.01% Job Postings): A belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. A set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination or desire to work hard.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Special Agent's salary.
Customer Relationship: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Telemarketing: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Product Marketing: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Special Agent Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Special Agent roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 25% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Insurance,
offers compensation 10% above the average. Conversely,
Special Agent positions in Business Services typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Special Agent as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Special Agent
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Insurance
$88,900
$43.0
10%
Financial Services
$84,859
$41.0
5%
Special Agent Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Special Agent's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Special Agent job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right.
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