Private Detectives and Investigators pay in the U.S.
$60,150avg. a year
$28.92 an hour · 35,580 employed
Private Detectives and Investigators in the U.S. earn an average of $60,150 a year and a median of $51,220. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($88,260) and lowest in South Dakota ($44,210).
$51,220Median pay
$28.92Average hourly
+0%Avg. pay since 2020
35,580Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for private detectives and investigators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1
District of Columbia
$88,260
$42.43 an hour
2610 jobs
Oregon
$74,690
$35.91 an hour
3750 jobs
Washington
$71,020
$34.15 an hour
4280 jobs
Massachusetts
$70,110
$33.71 an hour
5280 jobs
New Hampshire
$69,350
$33.34 an hour
61,300 jobs
New York
$68,310
$32.84 an hour
74,190 jobs
California
$67,040
$32.23 an hour
8400 jobs
Connecticut
$66,560
$32.00 an hour
9600 jobs
Minnesota
$66,510
$31.97 an hour
10410 jobs
New Jersey
$66,160
$31.81 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Private Detectives and Investigators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $50k$50k–$59k$59k–$64k$64k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $78,960 | $37.96 |
| Salem, OR | $78,540 | $37.76 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $78,160 | $37.58 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $77,440 | $37.23 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $77,230 | $37.13 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $77,160 | $37.10 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $74,090 | $35.62 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $73,260 | $35.22 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Private Detectives and Investigators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,750 | $46,810 | 530 |
| Alaska | $62,190 | $53,440 | 70 |
| Arizona | $62,410 | $61,030 | 790 |
| Arkansas | $57,940 | $47,750 | 370 |
| California | $67,040 | $61,250 | 4,190 |
| Colorado | $58,910 | $48,730 | 540 |
| Connecticut | $66,560 | $75,010 | 400 |
| Delaware | $59,230 | $55,710 | 110 |
| District of Columbia | $88,260 | $72,720 | – |
| Florida | $55,820 | $50,640 | 3,660 |
| Georgia | $54,730 | $45,060 | 1,460 |
| Hawaii | $54,920 | $45,750 | 70 |
| Idaho | $54,530 | $47,910 | 210 |
| Illinois | $64,440 | $60,210 | 1,300 |
| Indiana | $49,080 | $41,830 | 480 |
| Iowa | $48,190 | $41,110 | 170 |
| Kansas | $50,220 | $45,260 | 280 |
| Kentucky | $51,130 | $47,650 | 350 |
| Louisiana | $46,110 | $41,950 | 860 |
| Maine | $48,590 | $43,830 | 210 |
| Massachusetts | $70,110 | $50,240 | 280 |
| Michigan | $53,850 | $48,650 | 850 |
| Minnesota | $66,510 | $57,880 | 600 |
| Mississippi | $46,370 | $39,060 | 330 |
| Missouri | $48,150 | $41,600 | 590 |
| Montana | $52,540 | $47,430 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $58,140 | $51,750 | 160 |
| New Hampshire | $69,350 | $65,370 | 280 |
| New Jersey | $66,160 | $54,710 | 410 |
| New Mexico | $49,550 | $41,600 | – |
| New York | $68,310 | $59,140 | 1,300 |
| North Carolina | $61,350 | $52,890 | 1,710 |
| North Dakota | $47,230 | $44,310 | 60 |
| Ohio | $56,980 | $47,200 | 1,560 |
| Oklahoma | $46,450 | $39,680 | 370 |
| Oregon | $74,690 | $76,480 | 610 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,880 | $51,200 | 1,220 |
| Rhode Island | $60,960 | $54,620 | 60 |
| South Carolina | $58,980 | $51,530 | 620 |
| South Dakota | $44,210 | $44,840 | 60 |
| Tennessee | $63,810 | $49,360 | 940 |
| Texas | $58,670 | $51,810 | 3,220 |
| Utah | $59,830 | $57,910 | 350 |
| Vermont | $63,670 | $67,910 | 90 |
| Virginia | $61,940 | $56,160 | 1,280 |
| Washington | $71,020 | $64,080 | 750 |
| West Virginia | $49,600 | $46,410 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $50,660 | $41,850 | 410 |
| Wyoming | $58,800 | $54,310 | 40 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$67,920
1,520 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$62,630
1,070 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$71,950
1,040 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$58,660
1,030 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$58,050
980 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$68,020
970 jobsCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$74,090
860 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$73,200
790 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do private detectives and investigators make?
The average is $60,150 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $51,220 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $28.92, and the median is $24.62 an hour.
Which state pays private detectives and investigators the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $88,260 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $78,960.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $36,740 a year, and the top 10% earn over $97,630.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-9021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.