Detectives and Criminal Investigators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 33-3021 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$93,787
$45.09/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $93,787 per year ($45.09/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $69,326 and $120,515 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $160,534 per year. There are approximately 114,430 detectives and criminal investigators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.7%
Little or no change
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
118K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
49K
$78,280
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
41K
$119,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
24K
$79,770
Postal Service (Federal Government)
NAICS 491100
400
$117,020
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
260
$79,450
Wage range across top 5 industries: $78,280 to $119,500 (53% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$26.63
$55,390
P25
$33.33
$69,326
P50MEDIAN
$45.09
$93,787
P75
$57.94
$120,515
P90
$77.18
$160,534
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average detectives and criminal investigators salary?
The national median salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $93,787 per year ($45.09/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $69,326 and $120,515 annually.
How much do top-earning detectives and criminal investigators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $160,534 per year ($77.18/hr). The 75th percentile is $120,515 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for detectives and criminal investigators?
Entry-level Detectives and Criminal Investigators (10th percentile) earn approximately $55,390 per year ($26.63/hr). The 25th percentile is $69,326 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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