Detectives & criminal investigators

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2019 Workforce

152k

Average Age

43.6

Estimated Job Growth

4.51%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$87,103

Average Male Salary

$91,375

Average Female Salary

$74,393

About

Detectives & criminal investigators are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Detectives & criminal investigators was $87,103 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Detectives & criminal investigators by wage are Database administrators and architects, Operations research analysts, and Clinical and counseling psychologists.

Detectives & criminal investigators are part of the Protective service occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of correctional officers, Firstline supervisors of police & detectives, Firstline supervisors of fire fighting & prevention workers, Miscellaneous first-line supervisors, protective service workers, Firefighters, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Detectives & criminal investigators are Middle Rio Grande Development Council PUMA, TX, Webb County (North & East)Laredo City (Outer) PUMA, TX, and Annapolis City, Parole, Annapolis Neck & Edgewater PUMA, MD. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Detectives & criminal investigators are Webb County (North & East)Laredo City (Outer) PUMA, TX, Middle Rio Grande Development Council PUMA, TX, and I-94 Corridor PUMA, MI.

Photo by Osajus Photography

Service Occupations Protective service occupations Protective service occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Detectives & criminal investigators and on wages and locations for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Detectives & criminal investigators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Detectives & criminal investigators, by average wage, is Public finance activities. Detectives & criminal investigators are paid most in Woodlawn, Rose Hill & Mount Vernon PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Webb County (North & East)Laredo City (Outer) PUMA, TX.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$87,103

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,253

In 2019, Detectives & criminal investigators earned an average of $87,103, $31,579 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Operations research analysts make somewhat more than Detectives & criminal investigators while Database administrators and architects make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Detectives & criminal investigators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.245

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Detectives & criminal investigators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.245, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Detectives & criminal investigators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

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

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Detectives & criminal investigators

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

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Detectives & criminal investigators, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , National security & international affairs, and Administration of human resource programs.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Detectives & criminal investigators, by average wage, are Public finance activities, Architectural, engineering & related services, Other general government & support, Public finance activities, Scientific research & development services, National security & international affairs, Postal Service, Other general government & support, National security & international affairs, Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Postal Service, Architectural, engineering & related services, Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, National security & international affairs, National security & international affairs, Public finance activities, and U. S. Army.

Industries by Share

152k

2019 Workforce

± 9,581

21%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.72%

The number of people employed as Detectives & criminal investigators has been growing at a rate of 21%, from 125,977 people in 2018 to 152,447 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Detectives & criminal investigators employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Detectives & criminal investigators at 69.9%, followed by National security & international affairs with 10.6% and Administration of human resource programs with 3.18%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Detectives & criminal investigators in the US. The average age of male Detectives & criminal investigators in the workforce is 43.9 and of female Detectives & criminal investigators is 42.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Detectives & criminal investigators is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

114k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,290

38.3k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,807

74.8% of Detectives & criminal investigators are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Detectives & criminal investigators.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Detectives & criminal investigators

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

70.5% of Detectives & criminal investigators are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 14% of Detectives & criminal investigators, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Detectives & criminal investigators.

Age by Gender

43.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.747

42.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.29

The median age of Detectives & criminal investigators is 43.6, and Male employees are generally 1.23 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Detectives & criminal investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Detectives & criminal investigators are expected to see a growth of 4.51% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow slower than the national average.

Job Growth

4.51%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Detectives & criminal investigators. This profession is expected to grow lower than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.