Also called: Federal Firearms Investigator
Investigates illegal guns, bombings, arson, and violent crime.
ATF agents trace guns used in crimes, investigate gun-trafficking rings, and respond to bombings and suspicious fires with special national response teams. Some train dogs that sniff out explosives.
Federal GS/GL pay plus 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) and locality pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, U.S. citizenship, age limits (usually under 37 at hiring), tough fitness test, background check, and a long federal academy.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Chemistry, Fire Science.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection; hiring depends on federal budgets.
Low risk for 10 years. Gun-trace databases and AI help link crimes; scenes, arson work and arrests stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, PE / fitness.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.