SALARY DATA — SOC 33-3021
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
33-0000 Protective Service Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is 2.90× — the national median is $93,790 but top decile earns $160,540. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 114,430.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $55,390 | -41% | ~$27 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $69,330 | -26% | ~$33 |
| Median — 50th pct | $93,790 | — | $45.09/hr |
| Mean — average | $99,430 | +6% | $47.80/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $120,520 | +28% | ~$58 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $160,540 | +71% | ~$77 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in 288 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 7,580 | $106,440 | $62,130 | $175,930 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,830 | $156,750 | $90,310 | $195,190 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,240 | $127,890 | $82,510 | $174,030 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,070 | $69,900 | $45,770 | $139,300 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 2,990 | $124,840 | $77,790 | $167,110 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2,290 | $102,260 | $57,300 | $171,790 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,160 | $97,580 | $74,030 | $159,660 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 2,110 | $99,080 | $60,580 | $173,010 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,870 | $86,390 | $54,630 | $187,350 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,830 | $86,110 | $50,870 | $176,610 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 6 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Detectives and Criminal Investigators are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999300 | 48,770 | $78,280 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | 999100 | 41,230 | $119,500 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999200 | 23,700 | $79,770 |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) | 491100 | 400 | $117,020 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 611300 | 260 | $79,450 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Miami ranks #16 of 50 on the paycheck and #29 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $156,750 | 102.3 | $153,257 | — |
| Baltimore | $128,440 | 101.5 | $126,603 | — |
| Riverside | $127,420 | 101.3 | $125,827 | +1 |
| San Diego | $124,840 | 99.6 | $125,314 | +2 |
| San Francisco | $126,700 | 106.2 | $119,320 | — |
| Portland | $119,350 | 100.1 | $119,218 | +2 |
| Denver | $113,340 | 99.4 | $114,062 | +2 |
| Los Angeles | $127,890 | 113.6 | $112,613 | -5 |
| Seattle | $123,820 | 111.1 | $111,416 | -2 |
| Rochester | $107,660 | 97.8 | $110,082 | +2 |
Top 10 of 50 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Kansas City gains 12 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Detectives and Criminal Investigators to move from 120,500 to 120,700 over 2025–2035 — +0.2% , with about 7,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related experience.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?
- The median annual salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $93,790, and the mean is $99,430 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?
- Most Detectives and Criminal Investigators earn between $55,390 and $160,540 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.90× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.90 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Detectives and Criminal Investigators fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL ranks #16 by nominal pay but #29 of 50 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Detectives and Criminal Investigators growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Detectives and Criminal Investigators employment to grow 0.2% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 7,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Detectives and Criminal Investigators jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 114,430 workers in Detectives and Criminal Investigators nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Protective Service Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Detectives and Criminal Investigators: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $93,530
- Transit and Railroad Police $90,230
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $106,040
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers $77,970
- First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other $76,400
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $76,210
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators $75,920
- Fish and Game Wardens $74,060
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators (SOC 33-3021): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/detectives-and-criminal-investigators-33-3021.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Detectives and Criminal Investigators, officeblues.net/salaries/detectives-and-criminal-investigators-33-3021
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