Detectives and Criminal Investigators (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Detectives and Criminal Investigators — key workforce and wage figures are in the stats below. Projections imply about 2.2% annual growth; about 62% of workers are women.
Key Statistics
Detectives and Criminal Investigators: what the data shows
Common questions about detectives and criminal investigators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a detectives and criminal investigators?
Detectives and Criminal Investigators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-3021.
What does a detectives and criminal investigators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
What education do you need?
For Detectives and Criminal 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, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is detectives and criminal investigators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 24.8%.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | — | — |
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | 86,820 | $64,520 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | 365,380 | $57,970 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | 153,130 | $105,980 |
| Transit and Railroad Police | 3,000 | $82,320 |
| Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance | 211,000 | $48,880 |
| Police Identification and Records Officers | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Detectives and Criminal Investigators workforce.
Employment Over Time
N/A Workforce in 2023
The Detectives and Criminal Investigators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$N/A Average Wage
In 2023, Detectives and Criminal Investigators earned an average of $N/A.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Salary distribution for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Employment Growth Projections
2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
53,046 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.7%
59,265 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 24.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Detectives and Criminal Investigators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Detectives and Criminal Investigators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Top States by Employment
State-level employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 states by employment for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Detectives and Criminal Investigators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Detectives and Criminal Investigators in 2023 was N/A people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Detectives and Criminal 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 Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Detectives and Criminal Investigators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Detectives and Criminal Investigators workers.
Education level distribution for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Skills
Detectives and Criminal Investigators need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Detectives and Criminal Investigators include Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Detectives and Criminal Investigators include Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
Daily Activities
Detectives and Criminal Investigators spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
Most important work activities for Detectives and Criminal Investigators.
About
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
The average yearly wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators was $N/A in 2023.
SOC Code
33-3021 - Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Insights and Analysis
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.2%, 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.