Private Detectives and Investigators: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $40,700–$73,990. 35,580 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
58% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $65,914.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 3,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 18% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Business Management And Administration | 6% | Business Administration |
| General Business | 6% | Business |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| Criminology | 4% | Criminology |
| Political Science And Government | 3% | Political Science |
| Biology | 3% | Biology |
| Finance | 3% | Finance · Insurance |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| History | 3% | History |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $76,480 |
| Connecticut | $75,010 |
| District of Columbia | $72,720 |
| Vermont | $67,910 |
| New Hampshire | $65,370 |
| Washington | $64,080 |
| California | $61,250 |
| Arizona | $61,030 |
| Illinois | $60,210 |
| New York | $59,140 |
| Utah | $57,910 |
| Minnesota | $57,880 |
| Virginia | $56,160 |
| Delaware | $55,710 |
| New Jersey | $54,710 |
| Rhode Island | $54,620 |
| Wyoming | $54,310 |
| Alaska | $53,440 |
| North Carolina | $52,890 |
| Texas | $51,810 |
| Nebraska | $51,750 |
| South Carolina | $51,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,200 |
| Florida | $50,640 |
| Massachusetts | $50,240 |
| Tennessee | $49,360 |
| Colorado | $48,730 |
| Michigan | $48,650 |
| Idaho | $47,910 |
| Arkansas | $47,750 |
| Kentucky | $47,650 |
| Montana | $47,430 |
| Ohio | $47,200 |
| Alabama | $46,810 |
| West Virginia | $46,410 |
| Hawaii | $45,750 |
| Kansas | $45,260 |
| Georgia | $45,060 |
| South Dakota | $44,840 |
| North Dakota | $44,310 |
| Maine | $43,830 |
| PR | $42,190 |
| Louisiana | $41,950 |
| Wisconsin | $41,850 |
| Indiana | $41,830 |
| Missouri | $41,600 |
| New Mexico | $41,600 |
| Iowa | $41,110 |
| Oklahoma | $39,680 |
| Mississippi | $39,060 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$54,720
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$51,390
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$47,360
- Jacksonville$48,060
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$39,690
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$59,350
- Tallahassee$56,510
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$49,870
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$62,300
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$45,990
- Richmond$52,430
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$61,680
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$70,150
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$59,490
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$51,130
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$48,650
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$64,060
- Fresno$43,590
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$58,170
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
Work styles
- Integrity
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Self-Control
- Perseverance
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Private Detectives and Investigators: questions
How much do private Detectives and Investigators make?
Private Detectives and Investigators earn a U.S. median $51,220 a year; the middle half earn $40,700 to $73,990 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $54,889 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is private Detectives and Investigators a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a private Detectives and Investigator?
BLS lists the typical entry education as high school diploma or equivalent. In O*NET's survey, 42% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is criminal Justice And Fire Protection (18%).
How much do private Detectives and Investigators make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $50,640 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $51,220 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 33-9021. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Private Detectives and Investigators: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/private-detectives-and-investigators.