Top
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

33-3021 Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes. Excludes “Private Detectives and Investigators” (33-9021).

National estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Industry profile for Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Geographic profile for Detectives and Criminal Investigators

National estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
107,890 0.3 % $ 43.45 $ 90,370 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 23.10 $ 29.62 $ 40.21 $ 51.22 $ 70.59
Annual Wage (2) $ 48,040 $ 61,600 $ 83,640 $ 106,540 $ 146,830

Industry profile for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Detectives and Criminal Investigators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Detectives and Criminal Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 44,020 0.82 $ 37.85 $ 78,730
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 40,510 1.92 $ 54.83 $ 114,040
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 22,550 1.03 $ 33.88 $ 70,470
Postal Service (federal government) 500 0.08 $ 50.48 $ 104,990
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 230 0.01 $ 35.43 $ 73,680

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 40,510 1.92 $ 54.83 $ 114,040
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 22,550 1.03 $ 33.88 $ 70,470
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 44,020 0.82 $ 37.85 $ 78,730
Postal Service (federal government) 500 0.08 $ 50.48 $ 104,990
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 40 0.02 $ 31.43 $ 65,370

Top paying industries for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 40,510 1.92 $ 54.83 $ 114,040
Postal Service (federal government) 500 0.08 $ 50.48 $ 104,990
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 44,020 0.82 $ 37.85 $ 78,730
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 230 0.01 $ 35.43 $ 73,680
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 22,550 1.03 $ 33.88 $ 70,470

Geographic profile for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Detectives and Criminal Investigators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Detectives and Criminal Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of detectives and criminal investigators by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 16,540 1.35 1.77 $ 39.76 $ 82,700
California 11,510 0.70 0.91 $ 51.75 $ 107,650
New York 10,190 1.18 1.53 $ 51.92 $ 107,990
Florida 6,330 0.74 0.96 $ 39.35 $ 81,850
Arizona 5,370 1.86 2.43 $ 42.38 $ 88,140


Map of location quotient of detectives and criminal investigators by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 3,310 5.00 6.53 $ 59.50 $ 123,760
New Mexico 1,930 2.48 3.24 $ 36.18 $ 75,250
Arizona 5,370 1.86 2.43 $ 42.38 $ 88,140
Texas 16,540 1.35 1.77 $ 39.76 $ 82,700
New York 10,190 1.18 1.53 $ 51.92 $ 107,990


Map of annual mean wages of detectives and criminal investigators by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 100 0.33 0.43 $ 60.97 $ 126,810
District of Columbia 3,310 5.00 6.53 $ 59.50 $ 123,760
Maryland 870 0.34 0.45 $ 55.61 $ 115,660
Hawaii 430 0.79 1.03 $ 53.43 $ 111,130
Washington 1,590 0.49 0.65 $ 52.19 $ 108,550



Map of employment of detectives and criminal investigators by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 9,340 1.08 1.41 $ 55.17 $ 114,760
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,120 1.75 2.28 $ 59.36 $ 123,460
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,950 2.12 2.77 $ 51.26 $ 106,620
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,930 0.51 0.67 $ 55.70 $ 115,860
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 2,220 0.91 1.18 $ 46.45 $ 96,610
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,090 0.49 0.64 $ 48.85 $ 101,600
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,080 0.78 1.02 $ 47.68 $ 99,180
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,030 0.79 1.03 $ 36.55 $ 76,030
El Paso, TX 1,770 5.86 7.66 $ 43.06 $ 89,560
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,750 0.49 0.64 $ 43.25 $ 89,950


Map of location quotient of detectives and criminal investigators by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Detectives and Criminal Investigators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 830 24.69 32.24 $ 41.73 $ 86,810
El Centro, CA 750 12.71 16.60 $ 46.45 $ 96,620
Laredo, TX 1,200 12.31 16.07 $ 41.85 $ 87,050
Las Cruces, NM 510 7.54 9.84 $ 42.07 $ 87,510
El Paso, TX 1,770 5.86 7.66 $ 43.06 $ 89,560
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 790 5.63 7.35 $ 42.94 $ 89,310
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 1,440 5.51 7.20 $ 40.81 $ 84,890
Brunswick, GA 220 5.48 7.16 $ 58.04 $ 120,710
Tucson, AZ 1,610 4.42 5.77 $ 43.69 $ 90,880
Bellingham, WA 260 3.18 4.15 $ 54.39 $ 113,130