Salary by state
Detectives and Criminal Investigators Salary by State
Median annual wage from the latest BLS Occupational Employment Statistics release. Hover any state for the cost-of-living adjusted figure. Click to open the full state breakdown.
Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsBLS OES May 2025
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Detectives and Criminal Investigators — median wage by state
- District of Columbia: $160,760, COL-adjusted $146,278
- Maryland: $126,730, COL-adjusted $120,695
- California: $124,840, COL-adjusted $112,773
- Delaware: $122,050, COL-adjusted $122,295
- New Jersey: $116,300, COL-adjusted $106,893
- Washington: $115,790, COL-adjusted $108,215
- Alaska: $114,940, COL-adjusted $112,246
- Hawaii: $113,940, COL-adjusted $103,582
- Virginia: $112,760, COL-adjusted $111,533
- Massachusetts: $110,150, COL-adjusted $104,112
- Oregon: $107,450, COL-adjusted $103,917
- Vermont: $106,330, COL-adjusted $108,500
- Colorado: $105,480, COL-adjusted $102,308
- Arizona: $102,340, COL-adjusted $101,629
- New York: $101,240, COL-adjusted $93,828
- Nebraska: $100,530, COL-adjusted $111,576
- Pennsylvania: $97,580, COL-adjusted $99,980
- Connecticut: $95,240, COL-adjusted $91,931
- Nevada: $94,470, COL-adjusted $94,470
- Montana: $92,410, COL-adjusted $97,685
- West Virginia: $92,410, COL-adjusted $103,251
- Illinois: $91,190, COL-adjusted $91,190
- Wisconsin: $91,040, COL-adjusted $96,748
- Michigan: $90,650, COL-adjusted $94,231
- Texas: $90,510, COL-adjusted $93,213
- New Hampshire: $89,290, COL-adjusted $85,691
- Rhode Island: $88,450, COL-adjusted $86,461
- Maine: $88,310, COL-adjusted $90,947
- New Mexico: $86,840, COL-adjusted $94,187
- North Dakota: $82,290, COL-adjusted $92,461
- Wyoming: $81,880, COL-adjusted $88,328
- Oklahoma: $80,430, COL-adjusted $91,606
- Minnesota: $80,000, COL-adjusted $81,136
- Iowa: $79,560, COL-adjusted $90,615
- Ohio: $79,300, COL-adjusted $85,453
- Utah: $78,920, COL-adjusted $79,798
- South Dakota: $77,730, COL-adjusted $87,731
- Tennessee: $77,090, COL-adjusted $83,885
- Florida: $77,060, COL-adjusted $74,526
- Kansas: $75,740, COL-adjusted $84,062
- Missouri: $75,650, COL-adjusted $83,315
- Idaho: $72,520, COL-adjusted $75,937
- Kentucky: $71,670, COL-adjusted $79,457
- Indiana: $70,340, COL-adjusted $75,391
- Alabama: $66,290, COL-adjusted $74,651
- Georgia: $65,430, COL-adjusted $67,944
- North Carolina: $63,280, COL-adjusted $67,105
- South Carolina: $62,760, COL-adjusted $66,980
- Louisiana: $60,450, COL-adjusted $68,537
- Mississippi: $58,640, COL-adjusted $67,402
- Arkansas: $54,500, COL-adjusted $62,716
All states
51 of 51 results · sorted by value: high to low
- District of Columbia$160,760
- Maryland$126,730
- California$124,840
- Delaware$122,050
- New Jersey$116,300
- Washington$115,790
- Alaska$114,940
- Hawaii$113,940
- Virginia$112,760
- Massachusetts$110,150
- Oregon$107,450
- Vermont$106,330
- Colorado$105,480
- Arizona$102,340
- New York$101,240
- Nebraska$100,530
- Pennsylvania$97,580
- Connecticut$95,240
- Nevada$94,470
- Montana$92,410
- West Virginia$92,410
- Illinois$91,190
- Wisconsin$91,040
- Michigan$90,650
- Texas$90,510
- New Hampshire$89,290
- Rhode Island$88,450
- Maine$88,310
- New Mexico$86,840
- North Dakota$82,290
- Wyoming$81,880
- Oklahoma$80,430
- Minnesota$80,000
- Iowa$79,560
- Ohio$79,300
- Utah$78,920
- South Dakota$77,730
- Tennessee$77,090
- Florida$77,060
- Kansas$75,740
- Missouri$75,650
- Idaho$72,520
- Kentucky$71,670
- Indiana$70,340
- Alabama$66,290
- Georgia$65,430
- North Carolina$63,280
- South Carolina$62,760
- Louisiana$60,450
- Mississippi$58,640
- Arkansas$54,500
Highest- and lowest-paying states for detectives and criminal investigators
Ranked by median annual wage from the BLS 2025 release. The full sortable list is above; these are the extremes.
Highest-paying
- 1. District of Columbia$160,760
- 2. Maryland$126,730
- 3. California$124,840
- 4. Delaware$122,050
- 5. New Jersey$116,300
Lowest-paying
- Arkansas$54,500
- Mississippi$58,640
- Louisiana$60,450
- South Carolina$62,760
- North Carolina$63,280
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Detectives and Criminal Investigators salary in the United States?
- The US median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators is $94,757 per year (BLS, 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
- Which state pays Detectives and Criminal Investigators the most?
- District of Columbia pays Detectives and Criminal Investigators the most, with a median of $160,760, followed by Maryland ($126,730). The lowest median is in Arkansas at $54,500.
- How much do Detectives and Criminal Investigators salaries vary by state?
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators median pay ranges from $54,500 to $160,760 across the 50 states and DC — a spread largely explained by cost of living and local demand. The table below ranks every state.
- Are Detectives and Criminal Investigators jobs growing?
- BLS projects a -0.7% change in Detectives and Criminal Investigators employment from 2024 to 2034 — slower than average.