Animal Control Workers
Median $45,660
Occupation · SOC 33-9021
Private Detectives and Investigators: pay and where the jobs are
What private detectives and investigators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$51,220 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $60,150
- Median hourly wage
- $24.62
- Mean hourly wage
- $28.92
- Employment
- 35,580
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-9021.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among private detectives and investigators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do private detectives and investigators make?
The median annual wage for private detectives and investigators was $51,220 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,740 and the highest-paid 10% more than $97,630. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.62. About 35,580 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oregon ($76,480), Connecticut ($75,010) and District of Columbia ($72,720). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Connecticut.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for private detectives and 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 | $36,740 | $17.66 | $3,062 | $2,642 |
| 25th percentile | $40,700 | $19.57 | $3,392 | $2,907 |
| Median | $51,220 | $24.62 | $4,268 | $3,611 |
| 75th percentile | $73,990 | $35.57 | $6,166 | $5,073 |
| 90th percentile | $97,630 | $46.94 | $8,136 | $6,459 |
Private Detectives and Investigators: pay by state
50 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
$55,833 take-home in national prices
2
$55,765 take-home in national prices
3
$55,165 take-home in national prices
Where a median private detectives and investigator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 610 | $76,480 | $44,610 | $97,500 | $57,019 | $55,165 |
| Connecticut | 400 | $75,010 | $38,300 | $95,790 | $57,849 | $55,833 |
| District of Columbia | Not published | $72,720 | $45,790 | $156,670 | $56,708 | $51,599 |
| Vermont | 90 | $67,910 | $41,860 | $95,830 | $54,627 | $55,765 |
| New Hampshire | 280 | $65,370 | $40,510 | $124,150 | $54,705 | $52,517 |
| Washington | 750 | $64,080 | $43,060 | $104,220 | $52,779 | $49,321 |
| California | 4,190 | $61,250 | $42,600 | $103,410 | $48,884 | $44,151 |
| Arizona | 790 | $61,030 | $38,240 | $92,160 | $50,086 | $49,749 |
| Illinois | 1,300 | $60,210 | $38,920 | $97,780 | $47,723 | $47,743 |
| New York | 1,300 | $59,140 | $40,940 | $103,610 | $46,816 | $43,380 |
| Utah | 350 | $57,910 | $38,690 | $89,900 | $46,584 | $47,119 |
| Minnesota | 600 | $57,880 | $40,520 | $101,360 | $46,019 | $46,663 |
| Virginia | 1,280 | $56,160 | $35,530 | $95,000 | $44,889 | $44,399 |
| Delaware | 110 | $55,710 | $40,400 | $80,700 | $44,305 | $44,390 |
| New Jersey | 410 | $54,710 | $39,980 | $103,750 | $44,244 | $40,664 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $54,620 | $37,560 | $79,140 | $44,035 | $43,053 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $54,310 | $40,550 | $80,120 | $45,818 | $49,431 |
| Alaska | 70 | $53,440 | $39,620 | $105,970 | $44,852 | $43,818 |
| North Carolina | 1,710 | $52,890 | $36,600 | $98,560 | $43,076 | $45,667 |
| Texas | 3,220 | $51,810 | $35,650 | $99,930 | $43,809 | $45,138 |
| Nebraska | 160 | $51,750 | $38,950 | $89,480 | $42,286 | $46,931 |
| South Carolina | 620 | $51,530 | $37,000 | $93,740 | $42,483 | $45,316 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,220 | $51,200 | $38,380 | $91,470 | $41,712 | $42,749 |
| Florida | 3,660 | $50,640 | $35,990 | $85,830 | $42,869 | $41,454 |
| Massachusetts | 280 | $50,240 | $40,250 | $121,090 | $40,025 | $37,846 |
| Tennessee | 940 | $49,360 | $33,930 | $101,030 | $41,841 | $45,543 |
| Colorado | 540 | $48,730 | $41,110 | $86,430 | $39,684 | $38,509 |
| Michigan | 850 | $48,650 | $36,360 | $87,420 | $39,453 | $41,005 |
| Idaho | 210 | $47,910 | $39,520 | $69,710 | $39,245 | $41,097 |
| Arkansas | 370 | $47,750 | $35,990 | $107,930 | $39,268 | $45,168 |
| Kentucky | 350 | $47,650 | $37,340 | $70,150 | $38,917 | $43,164 |
| Montana | 70 | $47,430 | $39,900 | $73,190 | $38,817 | $41,014 |
| Ohio | 1,560 | $47,200 | $37,460 | $84,930 | $39,251 | $42,308 |
| Alabama | 530 | $46,810 | $35,990 | $61,420 | $37,863 | $42,628 |
| West Virginia | 170 | $46,410 | $35,990 | $78,560 | $38,178 | $42,658 |
| Hawaii | 70 | $45,750 | $41,830 | $83,050 | $36,993 | $33,645 |
| Kansas | 280 | $45,260 | $35,810 | $76,520 | $36,821 | $40,881 |
| Georgia | 1,460 | $45,060 | $36,570 | $96,680 | $36,886 | $38,306 |
| South Dakota | 60 | $44,840 | $40,050 | $49,560 | $38,209 | $43,132 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $44,310 | $32,710 | $61,320 | $37,783 | $42,472 |
| Maine | 210 | $43,830 | $36,550 | $67,230 | $35,854 | $36,944 |
| Puerto Rico | 120 | $42,190 | $21,840 | $47,430 | — | — |
| Louisiana | 860 | $41,950 | $35,000 | $67,690 | $35,015 | $39,696 |
| Wisconsin | 410 | $41,850 | $37,000 | $76,550 | $34,631 | $36,805 |
| Indiana | 480 | $41,830 | $36,500 | $77,000 | $34,586 | $37,058 |
| Missouri | 590 | $41,600 | $33,660 | $67,720 | $34,588 | $38,085 |
| New Mexico | Not published | $41,600 | $35,660 | $66,350 | $34,784 | $37,722 |
| Iowa | 170 | $41,110 | $36,920 | $64,080 | $34,302 | $39,085 |
| Oklahoma | 370 | $39,680 | $36,050 | $62,690 | $32,823 | $37,365 |
| Mississippi | 330 | $39,060 | $31,800 | $69,170 | $32,734 | $37,646 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-9021. *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.