Detective & Criminal Investigator earn $93,790 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $69,330 and $120,520. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a detective & criminal investigator: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Criminal Justice and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Also known as:
Most detectives & criminal investigators take home around $93,790 a year, well above what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $69,330 and $120,520, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Worth weighing against how long the training takes. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Well above average for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Moderate pressure. Regular deadlines exist but are generally manageable with experience.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +0.2%, meaning it is growing slowly, a little behind the average job. Around 7,800 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
Slower than average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Detective & Criminal Investigator professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $93,790 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 18,870 | $90,510 | -3.5% |
| 2 | California | 12,610 | $124,840 | +33.1% |
| 3 | New York | 9,600 | $101,240 | +7.9% |
| 4 | Florida | 6,440 | $77,060 | -17.8% |
| 5 | Arizona | 5,250 | $102,340 | +9.1% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a high school diploma or equivalent. The 4 programs below are the most common routes in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
The next most common path is a Public Safety program and the colleges offering it, which suits a different kind of applicant.
A medium amount of preparation is required, often an associate degree, certificate program, or apprenticeship, plus some related experience.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 103,302 | $55,378 | 1,899 |
| 2 | Public Safety | 8,130 | $57,805 | 498 |
| 3 | Intelligence | 3,962 | $75,803 | 79 |
| 4 | Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 3,147 | $56,185 | 185 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 97 | — | — |
| 2 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO | 96 | — | — |
| 3 | North Florida College Madison, FL | 91 | $804 | $33,929 |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 91 | $13,138 | $83,648 |
| 5 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 91 | $14,860 | $91,885 |
| 6 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | 90 | $14,741 | $80,838 |
Once you've sized up Detective & Criminal Investigator, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Detective & Criminal Investigator pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
The data on Detective & Criminal Investigator shows 3 measurable strengths and 3 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
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Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
Only 106 of 393 federal careers both pay a median above $80,000 and grow faster than the typical job. Here is the rare set that clears both bars.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
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