Private Detectives and Investigators

Summary

What Private Detectives and Investigators Do About this section

Private detectives and investigators must properly collect and document evidence so that it may be used in a court of law.

Private detectives and investigators gather, analyze, and report information to clients regarding legal or personal matters. Their services include verifying people’s backgrounds, finding missing persons, and investigating crimes.

Duties

Private detectives and investigators typically do the following:

• Interview people to gather information
• Search online, public, and court records for civil judgments, criminal history, and other evidence
• Conduct surveillance
• Write reports detailing investigation activities, observations, and findings
• Share results of investigation findings with clients

Private detectives and investigators offer many services for individuals, attorneys, and businesses. For example, they may perform background checks, investigate employees suspected of workplace theft, and prove or disprove infidelity in a divorce case. Some private detectives and investigators specialize in a type of investigation, such as missing persons.

When conducting research, private detectives and investigators obtain and analyze information such as telephone numbers, social networks, online activities, and court records. They may interview others to verify facts they discover.

Private detectives and investigators also conduct surveillance when working on a case. They may keep watch through binoculars or take photographs, often from a hidden position, to gather information on people of interest.

Private detectives and investigators must obey the law when conducting investigations. Because they lack police authority, they are held to the same standards of conduct as private citizens. As a result, these workers must have a thorough understanding of federal, state, and local laws, such as privacy laws, that may affect their work. Lawful collection of evidence ensures its usability in court and protects detectives and investigators from prosecution.

Skip tracers specialize in locating people whose whereabouts are unknown. For example, debt collectors may employ skip tracers to locate people who have unpaid bills.

Store detectives, or loss prevention associates, typically work undercover to identify and prevent shoplifting or theft. These plainclothes detectives may pretend to be customers as they walk through the store observing other shoppers.

Private detectives and investigators have duties that may be similar to those of workers in other occupations. For example, insurance investigators evaluate claims in which an insurance company suspects fraudulent or criminal activity. Detectives and criminal investigators gather evidence related to illegal activity. Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators monitor casino operations for suspicious activity and ensure compliance with the law.

Work Environment About this section

Many private detectives and investigators spend time away from their desks while conducting surveillance in the field.

Private detectives and investigators held about 38,800 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of private detectives and investigators were as follows:

Private detectives’ and investigators’ work settings may depend on their assignment or case. For example, some spend time in offices to research cases, or they work in the field while doing surveillance. Others may work in stores to observe customers.

In addition, private detectives and investigators may work outdoors or from a vehicle, in all kinds of weather, in order to obtain information.

Although they often work alone, some private detectives and investigators work with others while conducting surveillance or carrying out large, complex assignments.

Work Schedules

Most private detectives and investigators work full time. Their schedules may vary to include early mornings, nights, and weekends, especially when they conduct surveillance or contact people outside of normal business hours.

How to Become a Private Detective or Investigator About this section

Although most learn on the job, many private detectives and investigators have a law enforcement background.

Private detectives and investigators typically need at least a high school diploma or the equivalent and several years of work experience in a related occupation. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have a college degree. Most states require private detectives and investigators to be licensed.

Education

Education requirements vary. Some employers require a high school diploma or the equivalent, while others require a bachelor’s degree. Fields of study may include those that are closely related, such as security and protective service, or those that have wide applicability, such as business.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Private detectives and investigators typically need related work experience. Examples include having worked in law enforcement, the military, or federal intelligence. Some private detectives and investigators enter the occupation after gaining experience in public sector jobs.

Other private detectives and investigators may have worked in occupations such as bill and account collectors, claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators; paralegals; or security guards.

Training

Private detectives and investigators often learn through on-the-job training, which may last several months or longer.

Although private detectives and investigators learn how to gather information, additional training often depends on the position for which they are hired. For example, some learn to conduct remote surveillance, reconstruct accident scenes, or investigate fraud. Corporate investigators may receive formal training in business practices, management structure, and finance-related topics.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Most states require private detectives and investigators to be licensed. Check with your state and locality for information about age, experience, and other requirements for licensing. Depending on the position, private detectives and investigators may need a driver’s license.

Some workers opt to earn professional certification, which demonstrates competence in a particular area of investigation work.

Important Qualities

Attention to detail. Private detectives and investigators must stay alert and be precise in noting information related to their investigations.

Communication skills. Private detectives and investigators must listen carefully and ask appropriate questions when interviewing a person of interest. They also must write reports that clearly and comprehensively document activities and conclusions of their investigations.

Decision-making skills. Private detectives and investigators must be able to think clearly and evaluate situations quickly, often based on limited information that they have at a given time.

Inquisitiveness. Private detectives and investigators must be tenacious in asking questions and searching for the truth. They must be persistent in pursuing leads and sometimes must anticipate what a person of interest will do next.

Patience. Private detectives and investigators may spend long periods conducting surveillance while waiting for an event to occur. Investigations may be time consuming and may not provide a resolution quickly—or at all.

Problem-solving skills. Private detectives and investigators must be methodical in their approach to overcoming obstacles while solving challenging cases.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for private detectives and investigators was $52,370 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,250, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $98,770.

In May 2024, the median annual wages for private detectives and investigators in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Wage data do not cover self-employed workers or owners and partners of unincorporated businesses.

Most private detectives and investigators work full time. Their schedules may vary to include early mornings, nights, and weekends, especially when they conduct surveillance or contact people outside of normal business hours.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of private detectives and investigators is projected to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 3,600 openings for private detectives and investigators are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Continued lawsuits, fraud and other crimes, and interpersonal mistrust are expected to create demand for investigative services. In addition, background checks will continue to be a source of work for some investigators, as online investigations are not always sufficient.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link below goes to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. Use the dropdown boxes to select an occupation.

• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Profiles

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about private detectives and investigators, including information on certification, visit

Association of Certified Background Investigators

National Association of Legal Investigators

For more information about licensing requirements, contact your state licensing agency.

O*NET

Private Detectives and Investigators