SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes. Excludes “Private Detectives and Investigators” (33-9021).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 33-3021.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $55,390 | $4,616 | $1,065 | $26.63 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $69,330 | $5,778 | $1,333 | $33.33 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $93,790 | $7,816 | $1,804 | $45.09 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $120,520 | $10,043 | $2,318 | $57.94 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $160,540 | $13,378 | $3,087 | $77.18 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $93,790, which is 84% higher. Among the 24 occupations of the field Protective Service, it ranks number 2 by median pay. With 114,430 jobs, it makes up about 7.4 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($160,760), Maryland ($126,730) and California ($124,840). The lowest was in Arkansas ($54,500), Mississippi ($58,640) and Louisiana ($60,450). The most jobs were in Texas (18,870), California (12,610) and New York (9,600). The occupation is most concentrated in District of Columbia, where its share of all jobs is 5.8 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2,980 | $160,760 | $148,110 | $77.29 |
| Maryland | 1,010 | $126,730 | $130,040 | $60.93 |
| California | 12,610 | $124,840 | $121,530 | $60.02 |
| Delaware | 140 | $122,050 | $117,730 | $58.68 |
| New Jersey | 3,080 | $116,300 | $116,540 | $55.92 |
| Washington | 1,850 | $115,790 | $118,040 | $55.67 |
| Alaska | 140 | $114,940 | $125,160 | $55.26 |
| Hawaii | 440 | $113,940 | $124,610 | $54.78 |
| Virginia | 3,180 | $112,760 | $119,620 | $54.21 |
| Massachusetts | 1,300 | $110,150 | $118,130 | $52.96 |
| Oregon | 520 | $107,450 | $113,430 | $51.66 |
| Vermont | 190 | $106,330 | $104,220 | $51.12 |
| Colorado | 1,930 | $105,480 | $109,010 | $50.71 |
| Arizona | 5,250 | $102,340 | $100,000 | $49.20 |
| New York | 9,600 | $101,240 | $105,880 | $48.67 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $100,530 | $103,850 | $48.33 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,370 | $97,580 | $101,760 | $46.91 |
| Connecticut | 940 | $95,240 | $101,890 | $45.79 |
| Nevada | 590 | $94,470 | $101,950 | $45.42 |
| Montana | 500 | $92,410 | $93,800 | $44.43 |
| West Virginia | 220 | $92,410 | $102,070 | $44.43 |
| Illinois | 3,270 | $91,190 | $97,480 | $43.84 |
| Wisconsin | 1,640 | $91,040 | $90,620 | $43.77 |
| Michigan | 2,220 | $90,650 | $103,190 | $43.58 |
| Texas | 18,870 | $90,510 | $92,030 | $43.51 |
| New Hampshire | 290 | $89,290 | $104,670 | $42.93 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $88,450 | $98,430 | $42.52 |
| Maine | 550 | $88,310 | $92,920 | $42.46 |
| New Mexico | 2,020 | $86,840 | $84,880 | $41.75 |
| North Dakota | 420 | $82,290 | $88,310 | $39.56 |
| Wyoming | 170 | $81,880 | $91,890 | $39.37 |
| Oklahoma | 1,220 | $80,430 | $86,620 | $38.67 |
| Minnesota | 1,970 | $80,000 | $87,860 | $38.46 |
| Iowa | 410 | $79,560 | $87,110 | $38.25 |
| Ohio | 2,140 | $79,300 | $90,600 | $38.13 |
| Utah | 550 | $78,920 | $89,940 | $37.94 |
| South Dakota | 250 | $77,730 | $91,060 | $37.37 |
| Tennessee | 1,860 | $77,090 | $87,790 | $37.06 |
| Florida | 6,440 | $77,060 | $93,020 | $37.05 |
| Kansas | 1,060 | $75,740 | $78,750 | $36.41 |
| Missouri | 1,600 | $75,650 | $85,720 | $36.37 |
| Idaho | 630 | $72,520 | $81,570 | $34.86 |
| Kentucky | 720 | $71,670 | $86,900 | $34.46 |
| Puerto Rico | 620 | $70,760 | $86,120 | $34.02 |
| Indiana | 1,280 | $70,340 | $77,610 | $33.82 |
| Alabama | 1,340 | $66,290 | $79,070 | $31.87 |
| Georgia | 5,070 | $65,430 | $78,140 | $31.46 |
| North Carolina | 3,360 | $63,280 | $76,020 | $30.43 |
| South Carolina | 1,470 | $62,760 | $77,020 | $30.17 |
| Louisiana | 1,740 | $60,450 | $71,160 | $29.06 |
| Mississippi | 810 | $58,640 | $71,020 | $28.19 |
| Arkansas | 560 | $54,500 | $68,840 | $26.20 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040 a year
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$93,530 a year
- Transit and Railroad Police$90,230 a year
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$77,970 a year
Common questions
How much do Detectives and Criminal Investigators earn in the United States?
The median pay was $93,790 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $55,390 and the highest-paid 10% more than $160,540.
How many people work as Detectives and Criminal Investigators?
About 114,430 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.