Bailiffs
Median $56,600
Occupation · SOC 33-3021
Detectives and Criminal Investigators: pay and where the jobs are
What detectives and criminal investigators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$93,790 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $99,430
- Median hourly wage
- $45.09
- Mean hourly wage
- $47.80
- Employment
- 114,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3021.
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See where your pay falls among detectives and criminal investigators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do detectives and criminal investigators make?
The median annual wage for detectives and criminal investigators was $93,790 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $55,390 and the highest-paid 10% more than $160,540. As an hourly rate, the median is $45.09. About 114,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($160,760), Maryland ($126,730) and California ($124,840). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for detectives and criminal investigators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $55,390 | $26.63 | $4,616 | $3,890 |
| 25th percentile | $69,330 | $33.33 | $5,778 | $4,800 |
| Median | $93,790 | $45.09 | $7,816 | $6,234 |
| 75th percentile | $120,520 | $57.94 | $10,043 | $7,801 |
| 90th percentile | $160,540 | $77.18 | $13,378 | $10,083 |
Detectives and Criminal Investigators: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$100,499 take-home in national prices
2
$87,712 take-home in national prices
3
$87,653 take-home in national prices
Where a median detectives and criminal investigator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2,980 | $160,760 | $94,220 | $195,190 | $110,449 | $100,499 |
| Maryland | 1,010 | $126,730 | $71,200 | $188,700 | $92,062 | $87,712 |
| California | 12,610 | $124,840 | $78,280 | $165,510 | $87,606 | $79,124 |
| Delaware | 140 | $122,050 | $65,830 | $164,510 | $87,485 | $87,653 |
| New Jersey | 3,080 | $116,300 | $73,100 | $165,570 | $84,750 | $77,891 |
| Washington | 1,850 | $115,790 | $84,500 | $162,860 | $88,682 | $82,870 |
| Alaska | 140 | $114,940 | $79,680 | $183,680 | $89,419 | $87,359 |
| Hawaii | 440 | $113,940 | $92,520 | $165,030 | $81,741 | $74,343 |
| Virginia | 3,180 | $112,760 | $62,730 | $195,190 | $82,487 | $81,586 |
| Massachusetts | 1,300 | $110,150 | $76,150 | $179,030 | $80,526 | $76,143 |
| Oregon | 520 | $107,450 | $81,990 | $158,060 | $75,714 | $73,252 |
| Vermont | 190 | $106,330 | $65,690 | $153,670 | $79,119 | $80,769 |
| Colorado | 1,930 | $105,480 | $73,010 | $161,550 | $78,638 | $76,309 |
| Arizona | 5,250 | $102,340 | $60,590 | $142,380 | $78,661 | $78,132 |
| New York | 9,600 | $101,240 | $62,130 | $166,800 | $74,676 | $69,195 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $100,530 | $68,900 | $155,210 | $75,858 | $84,191 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,370 | $97,580 | $63,770 | $154,360 | $74,414 | $76,265 |
| Connecticut | 940 | $95,240 | $78,990 | $130,540 | $70,867 | $68,398 |
| Nevada | 590 | $94,470 | $60,920 | $152,480 | $75,290 | $75,305 |
| Montana | 500 | $92,410 | $58,670 | $144,000 | $69,980 | $73,940 |
| West Virginia | 220 | $92,410 | $48,450 | $171,250 | $70,497 | $78,770 |
| Illinois | 3,270 | $91,190 | $53,960 | $157,060 | $68,613 | $68,642 |
| Wisconsin | 1,640 | $91,040 | $70,060 | $103,130 | $68,981 | $73,310 |
| Michigan | 2,220 | $90,650 | $71,590 | $164,670 | $69,000 | $71,713 |
| Texas | 18,870 | $90,510 | $52,510 | $132,850 | $72,504 | $74,702 |
| New Hampshire | 290 | $89,290 | $74,690 | $174,050 | $71,646 | $68,781 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $88,450 | $75,910 | $159,140 | $67,382 | $65,880 |
| Maine | 550 | $88,310 | $63,290 | $120,430 | $66,222 | $68,234 |
| New Mexico | 2,020 | $86,840 | $47,480 | $111,970 | $66,998 | $72,656 |
| North Dakota | 420 | $82,290 | $58,350 | $129,230 | $66,376 | $74,614 |
| Wyoming | 170 | $81,880 | $62,230 | $149,280 | $66,433 | $71,671 |
| Oklahoma | 1,220 | $80,430 | $51,420 | $136,120 | $62,339 | $70,966 |
| Minnesota | 1,970 | $80,000 | $59,710 | $115,210 | $60,841 | $61,692 |
| Iowa | 410 | $79,560 | $58,930 | $141,650 | $62,429 | $71,134 |
| Ohio | 2,140 | $79,300 | $56,840 | $151,200 | $62,880 | $67,778 |
| Utah | 550 | $78,920 | $48,040 | $149,280 | $61,015 | $61,716 |
| South Dakota | 250 | $77,730 | $60,210 | $149,280 | $63,513 | $71,696 |
| Tennessee | 1,860 | $77,090 | $49,660 | $149,280 | $63,063 | $68,644 |
| Florida | 6,440 | $77,060 | $50,050 | $162,450 | $63,042 | $60,961 |
| Kansas | 1,060 | $75,740 | $49,610 | $114,030 | $58,686 | $65,158 |
| Missouri | 1,600 | $75,650 | $49,190 | $151,720 | $59,432 | $65,441 |
| Idaho | 630 | $72,520 | $53,120 | $125,550 | $57,113 | $59,807 |
| Kentucky | 720 | $71,670 | $51,640 | $149,280 | $56,859 | $63,065 |
| Puerto Rico | 620 | $70,760 | $38,020 | $153,670 | — | — |
| Indiana | 1,280 | $70,340 | $45,480 | $127,790 | $56,269 | $60,291 |
| Alabama | 1,340 | $66,290 | $43,060 | $150,780 | $52,658 | $59,284 |
| Georgia | 5,070 | $65,430 | $46,790 | $149,030 | $52,237 | $54,248 |
| North Carolina | 3,360 | $63,280 | $50,260 | $137,550 | $51,009 | $54,078 |
| South Carolina | 1,470 | $62,760 | $50,960 | $149,280 | $50,762 | $54,147 |
| Louisiana | 1,740 | $60,450 | $39,020 | $131,730 | $49,324 | $55,919 |
| Mississippi | 810 | $58,640 | $41,260 | $136,120 | $47,684 | $54,838 |
| Arkansas | 560 | $54,500 | $41,380 | $144,890 | $44,442 | $51,120 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.