Private detectives & investigators

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Total Workforce

86.6k

Average Age

43.7

Estimated Job Growth

10.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$61,675

Average Male Salary

$68,044

Average Female Salary

$53,393

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Private detectives & investigators are most often employed by the Banking & related activities industry. The average yearly wage for Private detectives & investigators was $61,675 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Private detectives & investigators by wage are Firstline supervisors of production & operating workers, Computer support specialists, and Transportation, storage, & distribution managers.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Private detectives & investigators are Benton County PUMA, AR. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Private detectives & investigators are Benton County PUMA, AR.

Photo by USAG- Humphreys

Service OccupationsProtective service occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Private detectives & investigators and on wages and locations for those in the field. Banking & related activities is the industry that employs the most Private detectives & investigators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Private detectives & investigators, by average wage, is Management, scientific & technical consulting services. Private detectives & investigators are paid most in Lawrence, Haverhill & Methuen Town Cities PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in Benton County PUMA, AR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$61,675

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,561

In 2017, Private detectives & investigators earned an average of $61,675, $9,610 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Firstline supervisors of production & operating workers make somewhat more than Private detectives & investigators while Computer support specialists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Private detectives & investigators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.328

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Private detectives & investigators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.328, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Private detectives & investigators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. Lawrence, Haverhill & Methuen Town Cities PUMA, MA

  2. Phoenix (Southwest) & Tolleson Cities PUMA, AZ

  3. Benton County PUMA, AR

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Private detectives & investigators.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Private detectives & investigators

  1. Perry Hall, Middle River & Rosedale PUMA, MD

  2. Benton County PUMA, AR

  3. Southeast South Dakota (Outside Sioux Falls City) PUMA, SD

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Private detectives & investigators.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Private detectives & investigators, by number of employees, are Banking & related activities, Investigation & security services, and Insurance carriers & related activities.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Private detectives & investigators, by average wage, are Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Scientific research & development services, and Air transportation.

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Industries by Share

86.6k

2017 Workforce

± 7,224

17.8%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.4%

The number of people employed as Private detectives & investigators has been growing at a rate of 17.8%, from 73,526 people in 2016 to 86,634 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Private detectives & investigators employed by various industries. Banking & related activities employs the largest share of Private detectives & investigators at  16.1%, followed by Investigation & security services with 15.8% and Insurance carriers & related activities with 6.1%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Private detectives & investigators in the US. The average age of male Private detectives & investigators in the workforce is 45.1 and of female Private detectives & investigators is 42, and the most common race/ethnicity for Private detectives & investigators is White.

Gender Composition

49k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,432

37.7k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,764

56.5% of Private detectives & investigators are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Private detectives & investigators.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Private detectives & investigators

  1. White

  2. Black

  3. Asian

72.8% of Private detectives & investigators are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.3% of Private detectives & investigators, Black is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Private detectives & investigators.

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Age by Gender

45.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.45

42

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.43

The median age of Private detectives & investigators is 43.7, and Male employees are generally 3.09 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Private detectives & investigators from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Private detectives & investigators is Business but a relatively high number of Private detectives & investigators hold a major in Protective Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

  1. Business

  2. Protective Services

  3. Social Sciences

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Protective Services

  2. Philosophy and Religious Studies

  3. Public Administration and Social Service

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Private detectives & investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Private detectives & investigators need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Private detectives & investigators need more than the average amount of Programming, Writing, and Active Listening.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Private detectives & investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Private detectives & investigators are expected to see a growth of 10.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

10.6%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Private detectives & investigators. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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