Private Detectives and Investigators Salary: $69,049 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 38,700 private detectives and investigators nationally earn a mean of $69,049. Employment in the series shown rose about 23% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Private Detectives and Investigators: what the data shows
Common questions about private detectives and investigators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a private detectives and investigators?
Private Detectives and Investigators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-9021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 38,700 workers.
What does a private detectives and investigators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Documenting/Recording Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Analyzing Data or Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a private detectives and investigators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $52,370 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $69,049 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,636 |
| 25th percentile | $47,699 |
| Median (50th) | $61,922 |
| 75th percentile | $81,441 |
| 90th percentile | $105,085 |
What education do you need?
For Private Detectives and Investigators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Writing, and knowledge areas including English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is private detectives and investigators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 19.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 38,700.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do private detectives and investigatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 38,700 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 35,300 | 17.6% |
| General Merchandise Retailers | 26,080 | 13.0% |
| Retail Trade | 14,280 | 7.1% |
| Administrative and Support Services | 8,130 | 4.0% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 8,130 | 4.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Private Detectives and Investigators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Private Detectives and Investigators workforce.
Employment Over Time
38,700 Workforce in 2023
The Private Detectives and Investigators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$69,049 Average Wage
In 2023, Private Detectives and Investigators earned an average of $69,049.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Salary distribution for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Employment Growth Projections
1.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
21,662 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.1%
23,628 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 19.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Private Detectives and Investigators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Private Detectives and Investigators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Wage Trends by Industry
57.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Private Detectives and Investigators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 5,260 employees, $67,140 avg wage
- FL: 3,780 employees, $57,240 avg wage
- TX: 3,440 employees, $58,630 avg wage
- NY: 1,850 employees, $73,290 avg wage
- IL: 1,770 employees, $71,380 avg wage
- PA: 1,550 employees, $62,050 avg wage
- NC: 1,370 employees, $62,490 avg wage
- OH: 1,360 employees, $56,050 avg wage
- GA: 1,340 employees, $55,190 avg wage
- AZ: 980 employees, $70,250 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,780 employees, $65,720 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,740 employees, $73,340 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,320 employees, $74,840 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,200 employees, $63,800 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,180 employees, $63,330 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 890 employees, $57,620 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 760 employees, $73,660 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 740 employees, $76,510 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 700 employees, $54,090 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 680 employees, $67,170 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Private Detectives and Investigators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Private Detectives and Investigators in 2023 was 38,700 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Private Detectives and Investigators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Private Detectives and Investigators workers.
Education level distribution for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Skills
Private Detectives and Investigators need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Private Detectives and Investigators include English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Computers and Electronics, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Private Detectives and Investigators include Inductive Reasoning, Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Private Detectives and Investigators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Private Detectives and Investigators.
Daily Activities
Private Detectives and Investigators spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Documenting/Recording Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Private Detectives and Investigators.
About
Private Detectives and Investigators
The average yearly wage for Private Detectives and Investigators was $69,049 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-9021 - Private Detectives and Investigators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Private Detectives and Investigators reports an average salary of $69,049.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 38,700 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.