Detectives and Criminal Investigators: Career Overview
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
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What Tasks Do Detectives and Criminal Investigators Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of detectives and criminal investigators include:
- Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.
- Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
- Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
- Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.
- Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
- Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful detectives and criminal investigators draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Air Marshal
- Burglary Investigator
- CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
- Child Support Agent
- Child Support Investigator
- Child Support Officer
- City Detective
- Counter Intelligence Agent
Employment and Demand
There are about 410,420 detectives and criminal investigators working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +14.5% over the projection horizon.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $64,492 |
| Hourly median | $31.01 |
| 10th percentile | $37,179 |
| 25th percentile | $50,836 |
| 75th percentile | $78,148 |
| 90th percentile | $91,805 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $125,630 |
| California | $122,140 |
| Alaska | $121,140 |
| Washington | $116,450 |
| New Jersey | $113,830 |
| Hawaii | $112,100 |
| Massachusetts | $111,460 |
| Virginia | $110,220 |
| Oregon | $107,450 |
| Vermont | $104,330 |
| New York | $103,340 |
| Arizona | $103,270 |
| Colorado | $102,910 |
| Nebraska | $99,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,740 |
| Montana | $95,640 |
| Nevada | $95,590 |
| Connecticut | $95,420 |
| Wisconsin | $92,910 |
| Michigan | $92,560 |
| West Virginia | $90,690 |
| New Hampshire | $90,050 |
| Texas | $89,860 |
| Illinois | $89,740 |
| Rhode Island | $88,780 |
| Delaware | $88,350 |
| New Mexico | $86,840 |
| North Dakota | $84,580 |
| Minnesota | $82,330 |
| Maine | $80,750 |
| Wyoming | $80,250 |
| Missouri | $78,670 |
| Florida | $78,290 |
| Ohio | $77,940 |
| Idaho | $77,460 |
| Kentucky | $77,440 |
| Oklahoma | $77,440 |
| Iowa | $77,440 |
| South Dakota | $77,440 |
| Indiana | $74,600 |
| Utah | $74,530 |
| Tennessee | $72,800 |
| Kansas | $68,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $66,840 |
| Alabama | $66,020 |
| Georgia | $64,990 |
| South Carolina | $63,060 |
| North Carolina | $62,480 |
| Louisiana | $59,500 |
| Mississippi | $56,310 |
| Arkansas | $53,460 |
Where Detectives and Criminal Investigators Earn the Most
Compensation for detectives and criminal investigators differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $119,744 | 14.0% | 0.86 |
| Middle Atlantic | $105,564 | 15.5% | 1.13 |
| New England | $97,494 | 3.4% | 0.79 |
| Rocky Mountains | $93,204 | 3.5% | 0.92 |
| Southwest | $91,672 | 24.5% | 1.97 |
| Great Lakes | $86,404 | 9.2% | 0.64 |
| Plains States | $79,153 | 5.2% | 0.82 |
| Southeast | $73,501 | 24.2% | 1.01 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | MD | $157,270 | 40 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $156,890 | 260 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | GA | $155,110 | 220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $153,340 | 4,760 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | CA | $143,250 | 70 |
| Salinas, CA | CA | $129,880 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $129,370 | 40 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $127,980 | 3,070 |
Which Industries Hire Detectives and Criminal Investigators
The largest employers of detectives and criminal investigators are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 440 | $115,070 |
| Educational Services | 280 | $82,990 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 60 | $85,650 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Detectives and Criminal Investigators Use
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Structured query language SQL (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for detectives and criminal investigators reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
Getting Started in This Career
Typical detectives and criminal investigators positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Compliance Officers (Supplemental)
- Coroners (Primary-Long)
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Forensic Science Technicians (Primary-Long)
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Lawyers (Supplemental)
- Judicial Law Clerks (Supplemental)
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for detectives and criminal investigators commonly pursue programs in:
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
12 programs across 2 majors
Natural Resources and Conservation
1 programs across 1 majors
Military Technologies and Applied Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 33-3021.00 (Detectives and Criminal Investigators).
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