occupation · 33-9021 · detailed
Private Detectives and Investigators — wages and employment
Private Detectives and Investigators earned a median annual wage of $52,370 in the United States in May 2024, with 38,700 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Private Detectives and Investigators earned a median annual wage of $52,370 in the United States in May 2024, with 38,700 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $37,250 or less, the best-paid tenth $98,770 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $49,540 to $52,370, +5.7 %. The best-paying state is Oregon at $77,320; the lowest Mississippi at $39,460. Among metropolitan areas, Lexington Park, MD pays the highest median, $80,060. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 38,700 | $52,370 | $61,680 | $37,250 | $41,940 | $75,310 | $98,770 | $25.18 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 34,600 | $49,540 | $60,270 | $36,060 | $40,130 | $74,830 | $96,600 | $23.82 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $77,320 | 480 |
| Maryland | $74,360 | 560 |
| Illinois | $73,070 | 1,770 |
| Minnesota | $72,070 | 940 |
| Connecticut | $68,290 | 400 |
| Wyoming | $67,360 | 40 |
| Vermont | $66,070 | — |
| Washington | $65,370 | 840 |
| Arizona | $64,960 | 980 |
| California | $60,210 | 5,260 |
| New York | $59,840 | 1,850 |
| Massachusetts | $57,840 | 480 |
| North Carolina | $55,190 | 1,370 |
| Alaska | $54,080 | 80 |
| South Carolina | $53,890 | 650 |
| Nebraska | $52,160 | 130 |
| New Hampshire | $51,990 | 230 |
| Rhode Island | $51,610 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $51,540 | 790 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,220 | 1,550 |
| Utah | $51,130 | 360 |
| Ohio | $50,060 | 1,360 |
| Colorado | $49,720 | 580 |
| Michigan | $49,700 | 980 |
| Delaware | $49,400 | 120 |
| Maine | $49,360 | 200 |
| Florida | $48,880 | 3,780 |
| Virginia | $48,740 | 900 |
| Idaho | $48,170 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48,130 | 490 |
| Texas | $48,070 | 3,440 |
| Montana | $47,910 | 60 |
| Nevada | $47,550 | 420 |
| Alabama | $47,180 | 580 |
| West Virginia | $46,830 | 250 |
| Tennessee | $46,560 | 690 |
| North Dakota | $45,710 | 60 |
| Indiana | $45,400 | 560 |
| Iowa | $45,070 | 140 |
| Kansas | $45,020 | 270 |
| New Mexico | $44,870 | 190 |
| Georgia | $44,590 | 1,340 |
| Hawaii | $44,390 | 60 |
| Missouri | $43,780 | 450 |
| Louisiana | $43,390 | 890 |
| Puerto Rico | $43,360 | 220 |
| Arkansas | $43,310 | 360 |
| Wisconsin | $43,210 | 450 |
| Oklahoma | $40,470 | 320 |
| Mississippi | $39,460 | 370 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington Park, MD | $80,060 | 30 |
| Salem, OR | $79,550 | 170 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $79,110 | 230 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $77,680 | 1,320 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $76,730 | 670 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $75,400 | 540 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $75,230 | 760 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $74,720 | 740 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $73,530 | 70 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $73,530 | 140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $69,550 | 480 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $69,500 | 380 |
| Syracuse, NY | $69,120 | 60 |
| Jefferson City, MO | $68,330 | 30 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $67,520 | — |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $65,260 | 70 |
| Richmond, VA | $63,580 | 170 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $62,600 | 110 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $62,190 | 490 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $61,850 | 50 |
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