What is the salary range for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

Detectives and Criminal Investigators salaries in the US range from $54,160 at the 10th percentile to $159,410 at the 90th percentile per year.

How many Detectives and Criminal Investigators are there in the United States?

An estimated 110,790 people work as Detectives and Criminal Investigators across the United States as of 2024.

Average Salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators

SOC 33-3021 · Protective Service Occupations · 2024 data

The median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in the United States is $93,580 ($44.99/hr), based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Wages range from $54,160 at the 10th percentile to $159,410 at the 90th percentile nationally. An estimated 110,790 people work in this occupation across the country. The national median wage has grown 17.2% since 2014.

Median Annual

$93,580

Mean Annual

$98,770

10th Pct

$54,160

75th Pct

$120,080

Employment

110,790

Salary Distribution

$54k

10th

$68k

25th

$94k

Median

$120k

75th

$159k

90th

Highest Paying Metro Areas

Metro Area	Median Annual	Mean Annual
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV	$157,270	$133,380
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$156,890	$141,960
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA	$155,110	$146,000
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$153,340	$144,050
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$143,250	$138,340
Salinas, CA	$129,880	$124,120
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$129,370	$127,330
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$127,980	$126,210
Great Falls, MT	$126,800	$113,290
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$126,380	$124,200
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$125,630	$129,330
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$125,300	$135,250
Anchorage, AK	$124,400	$130,370
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$122,450	$128,720
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$121,530	$124,580

Salary by State

State	Median Annual	Mean Annual	Employment
Maryland	$125,630	$127,850	960
California	$122,140	$120,930	11,900
Alaska	$121,140	$127,090	130
Washington	$116,450	$118,100	1,680
New Jersey	$113,830	$116,770	3,000
Hawaii	$112,100	$124,950	440
Massachusetts	$111,460	$118,660	1,170
Virginia	$110,220	$117,280	3,170
Oregon	$107,450	$114,240	470
Vermont	$104,330	$101,860	210
New York	$103,340	$106,280	9,410
Arizona	$103,270	$98,670	5,220
Colorado	$102,910	$106,000	2,030
Nebraska	$99,090	$101,710	280
Pennsylvania	$98,740	$102,050	3,390
Montana	$95,640	$94,470	470
Nevada	$95,590	$101,180	580
Connecticut	$95,420	$99,560	890
Wisconsin	$92,910	$92,950	1,480
Michigan	$92,560	$104,170	2,050
West Virginia	$90,690	$101,920	210
New Hampshire	$90,050	$99,180	410
Texas	$89,860	$91,250	18,020
Illinois	$89,740	$97,900	3,100
Rhode Island	$88,780	$96,810	440
Delaware	$88,350	$105,460	—
New Mexico	$86,840	$83,500	2,000
North Dakota	$84,580	$86,660	420
Minnesota	$82,330	$88,940	1,770
Maine	$80,750	$90,140	540
Wyoming	$80,250	$91,300	170
Missouri	$78,670	$87,900	1,440
Florida	$78,290	$94,360	6,310
Ohio	$77,940	$89,760	2,120
Idaho	$77,460	$86,860	520
Kentucky	$77,440	$88,950	700
South Dakota	$77,440	$90,250	230
Iowa	$77,440	$86,140	380
Oklahoma	$77,440	$83,850	1,280
Indiana	$74,600	$79,500	1,240
Utah	$74,530	$87,790	560
Tennessee	$72,800	$83,560	1,960
Kansas	$68,180	$74,870	1,070
Puerto Rico	$66,840	$85,370	630
Alabama	$66,020	$77,900	1,290
Georgia	$64,990	$76,520	4,820
South Carolina	$63,060	$77,110	1,330
North Carolina	$62,480	$75,320	3,240
Louisiana	$59,500	$69,230	1,870
Mississippi	$56,310	$67,560	810
Arkansas	$53,460	$67,640	560

Salary by Industry

National median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators broken down by industry sector, 2024 data.

Industry	Median Annual	Employment
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$119,120	40,480
Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$118,830	40,920
Transportation and Warehousing	$115,070	440
Postal Service (Federal Government)	$115,070	440
Postal Service (Federal Government)	$115,070	440
Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$93,590	110,670
Hospitals	$93,540	40
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$93,500	110,020
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$93,500	110,020
Health Care and Social Assistance	$85,650	60
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$85,560	100
Educational Services	$85,560	100
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only	$83,890	120
Educational Services	$82,990	280
Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$78,350	46,750
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$78,340	46,740
State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$76,540	23,000
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$76,460	22,790

National Wage Trend

View data table

Year	Median Annual	Mean Annual	Employment
2024	$93,580	$98,770	110,790
2023	$91,100	$95,930	106,730
2022	$86,280	$91,610	107,400
2021	$83,640	$90,370	107,890
2020	$86,940	$89,300	105,980
2019	$83,170	$86,030	105,620
2018	$81,920	$85,020	103,450
2017	$79,970	$83,320	105,350
2016	$78,120	$81,490	104,980
2015	$77,210	$79,620	106,580
2014	$79,870	$80,540	108,720