Detective and Criminal Investigator Salary in the U.S.
Median annual pay in the U.S.
$93,790
$45.09/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $55,390 | $26.63 |
| 25th percentile | $69,330 | $33.33 |
| Median | $93,790 | $45.09 |
| 75th percentile | $120,520 | $57.94 |
| 90th percentile | $160,540 | $77.18 |
Employment
- Employment in the U.S.
- 114,430
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Comparison
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | ||
| 1st | $160,760 | $146,277 1st |
| Maryland | ||
| 2nd | $126,730 | $120,742 3rd |
| California | ||
| 3rd | $124,840 | $112,753 4th |
| Delaware | ||
| 4th | $122,050 | $122,285 2nd |
| New Jersey | ||
| 5th | $116,300 | $106,888 10th |
| Washington | ||
| 6th | $115,790 | $108,202 9th |
| Alaska | ||
| 7th | $114,940 | $112,291 5th |
| Hawaii | ||
| 8th | $113,940 | $103,628 13th |
| Virginia | ||
| 9th | $112,760 | $111,529 7th |
| Massachusetts | ||
| 10th | $110,150 | $104,154 11th |
| Oregon | ||
| 11th | $107,450 | $103,956 12th |
| Vermont | ||
| 12th | $106,330 | $108,547 8th |
| Colorado | ||
| 13th | $105,480 | $102,356 15th |
| Arizona | ||
| 14th | $102,340 | $101,652 16th |
| New York | ||
| 15th | $101,240 | $93,809 23rd |
| Nebraska | ||
| 16th | $100,530 | $111,572 6th |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| 17th | $97,580 | $100,008 17th |
| Connecticut | ||
| 18th | $95,240 | $91,922 26th |
| Nevada | ||
| 19th | $94,470 | $94,490 20th |
| Montana | ||
| 20th | $92,410 | $97,639 18th |
| West Virginia | ||
| 20th | $92,410 | $103,255 14th |
| Illinois | ||
| 22nd | $91,190 | $91,228 28th |
| Wisconsin | ||
| 23rd | $91,040 | $96,753 19th |
| Michigan | ||
| 24th | $90,650 | $94,214 21st |
| Texas | ||
| 25th | $90,510 | $93,254 24th |
| New Hampshire | ||
| 26th | $89,290 | $85,720 34th |
| Rhode Island | ||
| 27th | $88,450 | $86,478 33rd |
| Maine | ||
| 28th | $88,310 | $90,994 29th |
| New Mexico | ||
| 29th | $86,840 | $94,174 22nd |
| North Dakota | ||
| 30th | $82,290 | $92,503 25th |
| Wyoming | ||
| 31st | $81,880 | $88,337 31st |
| Oklahoma | ||
| 32nd | $80,430 | $91,561 27th |
| Minnesota | ||
| 33rd | $80,000 | $81,119 39th |
| Iowa | ||
| 34th | $79,560 | $90,654 30th |
| Ohio | ||
| 35th | $79,300 | $85,477 35th |
| Utah | ||
| 36th | $78,920 | $79,827 40th |
| South Dakota | ||
| 37th | $77,730 | $87,745 32nd |
| Tennessee | ||
| 38th | $77,090 | $83,912 37th |
| Florida | ||
| 39th | $77,060 | $74,516 45th |
| Kansas | ||
| 40th | $75,740 | $84,092 36th |
| Missouri | ||
| 41st | $75,650 | $83,299 38th |
| Idaho | ||
| 42nd | $72,520 | $75,942 42nd |
| Kentucky | ||
| 43rd | $71,670 | $79,493 41st |
| Indiana | ||
| 44th | $70,340 | $75,368 43rd |
| Alabama | ||
| 45th | $66,290 | $74,632 44th |
| Georgia | ||
| 46th | $65,430 | $67,949 47th |
| North Carolina | ||
| 47th | $63,280 | $67,086 49th |
| South Carolina | ||
| 48th | $62,760 | $66,945 50th |
| Louisiana | ||
| 49th | $60,450 | $68,532 46th |
| Mississippi | ||
| 50th | $58,640 | $67,439 48th |
| Arkansas | ||
| 51st | $54,500 | $62,689 51st |
Places with the same median share a rank and are listed alphabetically.
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Similar occupations
Related occupations from O*NET, in O*NET's order, with their BLS median pay. Each figure shows the place it is for.
- Private Detective and Investigator salary in the U.S.
$51,220/year U.S.
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officer salary in the U.S.
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- Financial Specialists, All Other salary in the U.S.
$81,100/year U.S.
- Forensic Science Technician salary in the U.S.
$72,060/year U.S.
- Compliance Officer salary in the U.S.
$80,730/year U.S.
- Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist salary in the U.S.
$66,270/year U.S.
Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- +0.2%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- High school diploma or equivalent
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Specialties included in this occupation
- Police Identification and Records Officers
- Intelligence Analysts
BLS publishes one wage figure for all Detectives and Criminal Investigators; it does not publish separate data for these specialties.
O*NET 31.0
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations and specialties: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
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