Detectives & criminal investigators

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

155k

Average Age

43.5

Estimated Job Growth

−0.679%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$100,458

Average Male Salary

$105,092

Average Female Salary

$87,915

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 $100,458 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Detectives & criminal investigators are Alexandria City PUMA, VA, Manassas, Manassas Park Cities & Prince William County (Central)--Buckhall & Sudley PUMA, VA, and Alachua County (Outer) PUMA, FL. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Detectives & criminal investigators are Manassas, Manassas Park Cities & Prince William County (Central)--Buckhall & Sudley PUMA, VA, Alachua County (Outer) PUMA, FL, and Toa Baja & Dorado PUMA, PR.

Photo by Osajus Photography

Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Detectives & criminal investigators workforce. Detectives & criminal investigators workforce in 2024 was 155,436 people, of which 27% were women and 73% were men. Detectives & criminal investigators are paid most in Southeast Aurora PUMA, CO but are relatively concentrated in Manassas, Manassas Park Cities & Prince William County (Central)--Buckhall & Sudley PUMA, VA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

113,500

Male Workforce

± 8.27k

41,936

Female Workforce

± 5.03k

The Detectives & criminal investigators workforce in 2024 was 155,436 people (27% women and 73% men). This implies an average annual growth of 16.9% between 2014 (132,966) and 2024 (155,436).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Detectives & criminal investigators.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($126,789), New York ($126,031), and Virginia ($125,947).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$100,458

AVERAGE WAGE

#75 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Detectives & criminal investigators earned an average of $100,458, $30,580 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Detectives & criminal investigators in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.284

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Detectives & criminal investigators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.284, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Detectives & criminal investigators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Detectives & criminal investigators compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Detectives & criminal investigators and on wages 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 Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments ($172,755).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

155k

2024 Workforce

± 9,675

−0.307%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.82%

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 81.3%, followed by National security & international affairs with 12.9% and Administration of human resource programs with 3.14%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Detectives & criminal investigators in the US. The workforce of Detectives & criminal investigators in 2024 was 155,436 people, with 27% woman, and 73% men. The average age of male Detectives & criminal investigators in the workforce is 44.2 and of female Detectives & criminal investigators is 41.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Detectives & criminal investigators is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Detectives & criminal investigators in 2024 was 155,436 people, with 27% woman, and 73% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 40 to 44 years (26,603 people), 45 to 49 years (24,373 people), and 35 to 39 years (23,501 people). Among them they concentrated 48% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 17.8% of Detectives & criminal investigators workers were Hispanic and 82.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (48%), Puerto Rican (26.7)%, and Cuban (3.67)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 68.8% of the Detectives & criminal investigators workforce were White, of which 24.7% were women and 75.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (12.7%) and Black (11.3%).

Education & Skills

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 the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Protective Services.

Among the necessary skills for Detectives & criminal investigators, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Detectives & criminal investigators need more than the average amount of Operation and Control.

Majors

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

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Detectives & criminal investigators in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Protective Services (30,401 people), Business (15,589 people), and Social Sciences (14,115 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Detectives & criminal investigators workers were Bachelors Degree (67,241 people), Graduate Degree (30,180 people), and Some college (29,031 people).

The graphic shows the Detectives & criminal investigators workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

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 Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Detectives and Criminal Investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Detectives and Criminal Investigators are expected to see a growth of −0.679% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Detectives and Criminal Investigators.

−0.679%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Detectives & criminal investigators. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.