Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
33-9021 Private Detectives and Investigators
Gather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.
National estimates for Private Detectives and Investigators
Industry profile for Private Detectives and Investigators
Geographic profile for Private Detectives and Investigators
National estimates for Private Detectives and Investigators:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 32,200 |
8.5 % |
$ 28.89 |
$ 60,100 |
3.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 15.12 |
$ 18.46 |
$ 25.64 |
$ 35.19 |
$ 46.61 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 31,440 |
$ 38,400 |
$ 53,320 |
$ 73,190 |
$ 96,950 |
Industry profile for Private Detectives and Investigators:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Private Detectives and Investigators are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Private Detectives and Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Investigation and Security Services |
12,340 |
1.34 |
$ 28.51 |
$ 59,300 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,810 |
0.03 |
$ 31.29 |
$ 65,090 |
| Legal Services |
1,710 |
0.15 |
$ 30.62 |
$ 63,690 |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) |
1,520 |
0.07 |
$ 31.99 |
$ 66,530 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
1,450 |
0.06 |
$ 30.07 |
$ 62,550 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Private Detectives and Investigators:
Top paying industries for Private Detectives and Investigators:
Geographic profile for Private Detectives and Investigators:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Private Detectives and Investigators are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Private Detectives and Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Private Detectives and Investigators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
3,340 |
0.20 |
0.88 |
$ 33.82 |
$ 70,350 |
| Virginia |
2,510 |
0.68 |
2.92 |
$ 25.38 |
$ 52,790 |
| Texas |
2,220 |
0.18 |
0.79 |
$ 32.42 |
$ 67,420 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,940 |
0.35 |
1.52 |
$ 23.65 |
$ 49,200 |
| Illinois |
1,760 |
0.31 |
1.35 |
$ 31.57 |
$ 65,670 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Private Detectives and Investigators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Delaware |
320 |
0.75 |
3.22 |
$ 32.99 |
$ 68,620 |
| Virginia |
2,510 |
0.68 |
2.92 |
$ 25.38 |
$ 52,790 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,940 |
0.35 |
1.52 |
$ 23.65 |
$ 49,200 |
| Connecticut |
530 |
0.34 |
1.49 |
$ 28.04 |
$ 58,320 |
| Illinois |
1,760 |
0.31 |
1.35 |
$ 31.57 |
$ 65,670 |
Top paying states for Private Detectives and Investigators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Arkansas |
140 |
0.12 |
0.52 |
$ 37.49 |
$ 77,980 |
| Alaska |
60 |
0.21 |
0.89 |
$ 34.69 |
$ 72,150 |
| California |
3,340 |
0.20 |
0.88 |
$ 33.82 |
$ 70,350 |
| Delaware |
320 |
0.75 |
3.22 |
$ 32.99 |
$ 68,620 |
| Texas |
2,220 |
0.18 |
0.79 |
$ 32.42 |
$ 67,420 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,710 |
0.57 |
2.44 |
$ 26.96 |
$ 56,090 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,260 |
0.14 |
0.61 |
$ 26.43 |
$ 54,970 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
760 |
0.28 |
1.22 |
$ 32.08 |
$ 66,720 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
700 |
0.28 |
1.21 |
$ 28.13 |
$ 58,520 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
640 |
0.24 |
1.04 |
$ 31.53 |
$ 65,580 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
630 |
0.17 |
0.76 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
520 |
0.09 |
0.38 |
$ 37.35 |
$ 77,690 |
| Richmond, VA |
480 |
0.76 |
3.30 |
$ 23.59 |
$ 49,070 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
420 |
0.14 |
0.61 |
$ 24.43 |
$ 50,810 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
410 |
0.17 |
0.75 |
$ 42.57 |
$ 88,550 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Fort Collins, CO |
270 |
1.73 |
7.48 |
$ 21.95 |
$ 45,650 |
| Richmond, VA |
480 |
0.76 |
3.30 |
$ 23.59 |
$ 49,070 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,710 |
0.57 |
2.44 |
$ 26.96 |
$ 56,090 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
100 |
0.46 |
1.99 |
$ 22.17 |
$ 46,120 |
| Lafayette, LA |
80 |
0.43 |
1.87 |
$ 21.56 |
$ 44,840 |
| Springfield, IL |
40 |
0.41 |
1.78 |
$ 23.96 |
$ 49,850 |
| Jacksonville, FL |
270 |
0.39 |
1.70 |
$ 28.39 |
$ 59,050 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
380 |
0.39 |
1.68 |
$ 27.89 |
$ 58,020 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
350 |
0.33 |
1.42 |
$ 29.14 |
$ 60,600 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
30 |
0.31 |
1.33 |
(8) |
(8) |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Private Detectives and Investigators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
410 |
0.17 |
0.75 |
$ 42.57 |
$ 88,550 |
| Fresno, CA |
50 |
0.14 |
0.62 |
$ 38.09 |
$ 79,220 |
| Anchorage, AK |
30 |
0.21 |
0.91 |
$ 37.48 |
$ 77,960 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
520 |
0.09 |
0.38 |
$ 37.35 |
$ 77,690 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 36.74 |
$ 76,420 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 35.07 |
$ 72,950 |
| Rochester, NY |
60 |
0.13 |
0.57 |
$ 34.40 |
$ 71,550 |
| Salem, OR |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 33.53 |
$ 69,730 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 33.41 |
$ 69,500 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 32.40 |
$ 67,380 |
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
