Detectives & criminal investigators

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Total Workforce

118k

Average Age

42.9

Estimated Job Growth

4.51%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$79,653

Average Male Salary

$85,245

Average Female Salary

$66,704

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

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 $79,653 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Detectives & criminal investigators by wage are Compliance officers, Credit counselors & loan officers, and Electrical powerline installers & repairers.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Detectives & criminal investigators are Arlington County (South) PUMA, VA, George Washington Regional Commission (North) PUMA, VA, and Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission PUMA, VA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Detectives & criminal investigators are Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR, Arlington County (South) PUMA, VA, and Bayamón Municipio (Este) PUMA, PR.

Photo by USAG- Humphreys

Service OccupationsProtective service occupations

Employment

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 Administration of environmental quality & housing programs. Detectives & criminal investigators are paid most in Ashburn (Southwest/Belmont Ridge) & Dulles Airport PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$79,653

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,962

In 2017, Detectives & criminal investigators earned an average of $79,653, $27,588 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Compliance officers make somewhat more than Detectives & criminal investigators while Electrical powerline installers & repairers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Detectives & criminal investigators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.268

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Detectives & criminal investigators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.268, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Detectives & criminal investigators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. Ashburn (Southwest/Belmont Ridge) & Dulles Airport PUMA, VA

  2. Brookhaven Town (West Central) PUMA, NY

  3. Westchester County (Northeast) PUMA, NY

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

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Detectives & criminal investigators

  1. Arlington County (South) PUMA, VA

  2. George Washington Regional Commission (North) PUMA, VA

  3. Bowie City, Kettering, Largo, Mitchellville & Lanham PUMA, MD

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

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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.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Detectives & criminal investigators, by average wage, are Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, National security & international affairs, and Public finance activities.

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Industries by Share

118k

2017 Workforce

± 8,429

-0.88%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.2%

The number of people employed as Detectives & criminal investigators has been declining at a rate of -0.88%, from 119,011 people in 2016 to 117,964 people in 2017.

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  76.6%, followed by National security & international affairs with 7.75% and Administration of human resource programs with 3.12%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Detectives & criminal investigators in the US. The average age of male Detectives & criminal investigators in the workforce is 43.4 and of female Detectives & criminal investigators is 41.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Detectives & criminal investigators is White.

Gender Composition

82.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,045

35.6k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,630

69.8% 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.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Detectives & criminal investigators

  1. White

  2. Black

  3. Other

79.2% of Detectives & criminal investigators are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.1% of Detectives & criminal investigators, Black is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Detectives & criminal investigators.

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Age by Gender

43.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.88

41.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.46

The median age of Detectives & criminal investigators is 42.9, and Male employees are generally 1.74 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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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

  1. Protective Services

  2. Business

  3. Social Sciences

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Protective Services

  2. Cultural & Gender Studies

  3. Social Sciences

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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 Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Detectives & criminal investigators need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Science, and Complex Problem Solving.

Radar Distribution

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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 7.4%, 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

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

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

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