Detectives and Criminal Investigators: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Protective Service · SOC 33-3021 · O*NET 33-3021.00
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators fall under the Protective Service category in the U.S. occupational classification. Detectives and Criminal Investigators earn a median salary of $93,580 per year, ranking in the top 17% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -0.7% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do detectives and criminal investigators earn?
The median annual wage for detectives and criminal investigators is $93,580. That puts detectives and criminal investigators at #135 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $54,160 |
| 25th percentile | $68,390 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $93,580 |
| 75th percentile | $120,080 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $159,410 |
| Median hourly wage | $44.99/hr |
Is detectives and criminal investigators a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for detectives and criminal investigators is -0.7%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 117K positions in 2024 to 117K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do detectives and criminal investigators do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working detectives and criminal investigators, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.
- 2.Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
- 3.Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.
- 4.Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- 5.Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
- 6.Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.
- 7.Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
- 8.Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.
Top skills for detectives and criminal investigators
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become detectives and criminal investigator?
Many detectives and criminal investigators enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$105,980 median
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$92,430 median
- Transit and Railroad Police$82,320 median
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators$78,060 median
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$76,310 median
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$76,290 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about detectives and criminal investigators
What is the median salary for detectives and criminal investigators?
The median annual salary for detectives and criminal investigators is $93,580 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is detectives and criminal investigators a growing career?
BLS projects -0.7% growth for detectives and criminal investigators from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become detectives and criminal investigator?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to detectives and criminal investigators?
Related occupations within the Protective Service category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.