Private Detectives and Investigators Salary

Median Salary
$51,220
per year
Hourly Rate
$24.62
per hour
Employment
35,580
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$36,740
25th percentile
$40,700
Median
$51,220
75th percentile
$73,990
90th percentile
$97,630

💰 Private Detectives and Investigators Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$39K
$76K■ No data
StateMedianvs. National
Oregon$76,480+49.3%
Connecticut$75,010+46.4%
District of Columbia$72,720+42.0%
Vermont$67,910+32.6%
New Hampshire$65,370+27.6%
Washington$64,080+25.1%
California$61,250+19.6%
Arizona$61,030+19.2%
Illinois$60,210+17.6%
New York$59,140+15.5%
Utah$57,910+13.1%
Minnesota$57,880+13.0%
Virginia$56,160+9.6%
Delaware$55,710+8.8%
New Jersey$54,710+6.8%
Rhode Island$54,620+6.6%
Wyoming$54,310+6.0%
Alaska$53,440+4.3%
North Carolina$52,890+3.3%
Texas$51,810+1.2%
Nebraska$51,750+1.0%
South Carolina$51,530+0.6%
Pennsylvania$51,200-0.0%
Florida$50,640-1.1%
Massachusetts$50,240-1.9%
Tennessee$49,360-3.6%
Colorado$48,730-4.9%
Michigan$48,650-5.0%
Idaho$47,910-6.5%
Arkansas$47,750-6.8%
Kentucky$47,650-7.0%
Montana$47,430-7.4%
Ohio$47,200-7.8%
Alabama$46,810-8.6%
West Virginia$46,410-9.4%
Hawaii$45,750-10.7%
Kansas$45,260-11.6%
Georgia$45,060-12.0%
South Dakota$44,840-12.5%
North Dakota$44,310-13.5%
Maine$43,830-14.4%
Louisiana$41,950-18.1%
Wisconsin$41,850-18.3%
Indiana$41,830-18.3%
Missouri$41,600-18.8%
New Mexico$41,600-18.8%
Iowa$41,110-19.7%
Oklahoma$39,680-22.5%
Mississippi$39,060-23.7%

🏙️ Private Detectives and Investigators Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
Memphis, TN-MS-AR$99,680+94.6%
Salem, OR$81,070+58.3%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$78,330+52.9%
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT$77,540+51.4%
Waterbury-Shelton, CT$76,630+49.6%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$75,670+47.7%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$73,430+43.4%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$70,780+38.2%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$70,220+37.1%
Burlington-South Burlington, VT$70,190+37.0%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$70,150+37.0%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$68,310+33.4%
New Haven, CT$65,030+27.0%
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$64,400+25.7%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$64,080+25.1%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$64,060+25.1%
Eugene-Springfield, OR$63,940+24.8%
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO$62,520+22.1%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$62,300+21.6%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$61,680+20.4%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$61,460+20.0%
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA$61,460+20.0%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$60,910+18.9%
Corpus Christi, TX$60,090+17.3%
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$59,770+16.7%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$59,490+16.1%
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL$59,350+15.9%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$59,140+15.5%
Modesto, CA$58,460+14.1%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$58,170+13.6%
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT$57,910+13.1%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX$57,620+12.5%
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX$56,760+10.8%
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$56,530+10.4%
Tallahassee, FL$56,510+10.3%
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$56,370+10.1%
Ogden, UT$55,450+8.3%
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT$55,420+8.2%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$54,720+6.8%
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY$53,930+5.3%
Asheville, NC$53,900+5.2%
Lincoln, NE$53,800+5.0%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$53,680+4.8%
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$53,610+4.7%
Richmond, VA$52,430+2.4%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$52,000+1.5%
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL$51,950+1.4%
Columbus, OH$51,780+1.1%
Gainesville, FL$51,580+0.7%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$51,390+0.3%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$51,130-0.2%
Greenville, NC$51,010-0.4%
Syracuse, NY$50,730-1.0%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ$50,710-1.0%
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY$50,540-1.3%
Rochester, NY$50,510-1.4%
Stockton-Lodi, CA$50,220-2.0%
Reading, PA$50,200-2.0%
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL$49,870-2.6%
Pittsburgh, PA$49,810-2.8%
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC$49,740-2.9%
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$49,420-3.5%
Birmingham, AL$49,390-3.6%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$48,650-5.0%
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL$48,630-5.1%
Vallejo, CA$48,600-5.1%
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH$48,510-5.3%
Port St. Lucie, FL$48,430-5.4%
Evansville, IN$48,280-5.7%
Jacksonville, FL$48,060-6.2%
Columbia, SC$48,000-6.3%
Visalia, CA$47,970-6.3%
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$47,960-6.4%
Mobile, AL$47,770-6.7%
Boise City, ID$47,690-6.9%
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$47,690-6.9%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL$47,360-7.5%
Montgomery, AL$47,100-8.0%
Portland-South Portland, ME$46,610-9.0%
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$46,560-9.1%
Ocala, FL$46,470-9.3%
Tyler, TX$46,390-9.4%
Fort Smith, AR-OK$46,380-9.4%
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$46,190-9.8%
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$46,110-10.0%
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$45,990-10.2%
Savannah, GA$45,960-10.3%
Urban Honolulu, HI$45,750-10.7%
Cleveland, OH$45,660-10.9%
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL$45,440-11.3%
Raleigh-Cary, NC$45,390-11.4%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$45,080-12.0%
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN$44,890-12.4%
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC$44,820-12.5%
Baton Rouge, LA$44,810-12.5%
Kansas City, MO-KS$44,640-12.8%
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN$44,550-13.0%
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA$44,390-13.3%
Tulsa, OK$44,340-13.4%
Omaha, NE-IA$44,100-13.9%
Huntsville, AL$43,950-14.2%
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$43,890-14.3%
Youngstown-Warren, OH$43,740-14.6%
Fresno, CA$43,590-14.9%
New Orleans-Metairie, LA$43,500-15.1%
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA$43,420-15.2%
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$43,230-15.6%
Knoxville, TN$43,150-15.8%
St. Louis, MO-IL$42,930-16.2%
Worcester, MA$42,720-16.6%
Winston-Salem, NC$42,660-16.7%
Madison, WI$42,320-17.4%
Puerto Rico$42,190-17.6%
Colorado Springs, CO$42,140-17.7%
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI$42,140-17.7%
Lexington-Fayette, KY$41,930-18.1%
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$41,850-18.3%
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS$41,690-18.6%
Albuquerque, NM$41,680-18.6%
Greensboro-High Point, NC$41,630-18.7%
Tucson, AZ$41,450-19.1%
Akron, OH$41,420-19.1%
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC$41,330-19.3%
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$41,110-19.7%
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$39,960-22.0%
Lafayette, LA$39,800-22.3%
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$39,690-22.5%
Toledo, OH$39,600-22.7%
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL$39,260-23.4%
Fort Wayne, IN$39,220-23.4%
Charleston-North Charleston, SC$39,060-23.7%
Canton-Massillon, OH$38,750-24.3%
Springfield, MO$38,690-24.5%
Fayetteville, NC$38,500-24.8%
El Paso, TX$38,070-25.7%
Wichita, KS$37,940-25.9%
Jackson, MS$37,920-26.0%
Oklahoma City, OK$37,840-26.1%
Lansing-East Lansing, MI$37,750-26.3%
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX$37,090-27.6%
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA$37,030-27.7%
Columbus, GA-AL$36,750-28.3%
Lubbock, TX$36,640-28.5%
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR$36,530-28.7%
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.