Private Investigator salary: $51,220 median, and how to negotiate yours.
The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.
The median annual wage for private detectives and investigators in the United States was $51,220 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,740 and the top 10% earned more than $97,630. That median is 1.0 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Oregon ($76,480).
Data Government data groups this job as Private Detectives and Investigators (O*NET-SOC 33-9021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
- 10th percentile
- $36,740
- lowest-paid 10% earn less
- 25th percentile
- $40,700
- a quarter earn less
- 75th percentile
- $73,990
- a quarter earn more
- 90th percentile
- $97,630
- top 10% earn more
Private Investigator salary in every state
Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 49 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.
- Oregon$76,480
- Connecticut$75,010
- District of Columbia$72,720
- Vermont$67,910
- New Hampshire$65,370
- California4,190
- Florida3,660
- Texas3,220
- North Carolina1,710
- Ohio1,560
| State | 10th–90th percentile | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $76,480 | $44,610–$97,500 | 610 |
| Connecticut | $75,010 | $38,300–$95,790 | 400 |
| District of Columbia | $72,720 | $45,790–$156,670 | n/a |
| Vermont | $67,910 | $41,860–$95,830 | 90 |
| New Hampshire | $65,370 | $40,510–$124,150 | 280 |
| Washington | $64,080 | $43,060–$104,220 | 750 |
| California | $61,250 | $42,600–$103,410 | 4,190 |
| Arizona | $61,030 | $38,240–$92,160 | 790 |
| Illinois | $60,210 | $38,920–$97,780 | 1,300 |
| New York | $59,140 | $40,940–$103,610 | 1,300 |
| Utah | $57,910 | $38,690–$89,900 | 350 |
| Minnesota | $57,880 | $40,520–$101,360 | 600 |
| Virginia | $56,160 | $35,530–$95,000 | 1,280 |
| Delaware | $55,710 | $40,400–$80,700 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $54,710 | $39,980–$103,750 | 410 |
| Rhode Island | $54,620 | $37,560–$79,140 | 60 |
| Wyoming | $54,310 | $40,550–$80,120 | 40 |
| Alaska | $53,440 | $39,620–$105,970 | 70 |
| North Carolina | $52,890 | $36,600–$98,560 | 1,710 |
| Texas | $51,810 | $35,650–$99,930 | 3,220 |
| Nebraska | $51,750 | $38,950–$89,480 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $51,530 | $37,000–$93,740 | 620 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,200 | $38,380–$91,470 | 1,220 |
| Florida | $50,640 | $35,990–$85,830 | 3,660 |
| Massachusetts | $50,240 | $40,250–$121,090 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $49,360 | $33,930–$101,030 | 940 |
| Colorado | $48,730 | $41,110–$86,430 | 540 |
| Michigan | $48,650 | $36,360–$87,420 | 850 |
| Idaho | $47,910 | $39,520–$69,710 | 210 |
| Arkansas | $47,750 | $35,990–$107,930 | 370 |
| Kentucky | $47,650 | $37,340–$70,150 | 350 |
| Montana | $47,430 | $39,900–$73,190 | 70 |
| Ohio | $47,200 | $37,460–$84,930 | 1,560 |
| Alabama | $46,810 | $35,990–$61,420 | 530 |
| West Virginia | $46,410 | $35,990–$78,560 | 170 |
| Hawaii | $45,750 | $41,830–$83,050 | 70 |
| Kansas | $45,260 | $35,810–$76,520 | 280 |
| Georgia | $45,060 | $36,570–$96,680 | 1,460 |
| South Dakota | $44,840 | $40,050–$49,560 | 60 |
| North Dakota | $44,310 | $32,710–$61,320 | 60 |
| Maine | $43,830 | $36,550–$67,230 | 210 |
| Louisiana | $41,950 | $35,000–$67,690 | 860 |
| Wisconsin | $41,850 | $37,000–$76,550 | 410 |
| Indiana | $41,830 | $36,500–$77,000 | 480 |
| Missouri | $41,600 | $33,660–$67,720 | 590 |
| New Mexico | $41,600 | $35,660–$66,350 | n/a |
| Iowa | $41,110 | $36,920–$64,080 | 170 |
| Oklahoma | $39,680 | $36,050–$62,690 | 370 |
| Mississippi | $39,060 | $31,800–$69,170 | 330 |
Where the median is highest
Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.
How the pay compares
Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).
Ask for more, calmly and in writing
Advice Uses only what you type. Replace anything in brackets with something true.
Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.
How this page is built
Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.
- Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
- Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.