Hailing from backgrounds in law enforcement, military, private security and loss prevention, often with degrees in areas like criminal justice, public safety, and even psychology, today’s private investigators are redefining outmoded depictions that were never really very accurate.
These are skilled professionals with a lot of integrity and an unwavering dedication to their craft working in a regulated field where meeting licensing requirements means passing a thorough background check and often laying down a substantial surety bond. And make no mistake—their earning potential reflects this.
Learn more about what private investigators are earning, and what you’ll need to do to become one of the top earners in the field:
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Common Pay Structure and Compensation Models for PIs
Salary Trends in Private Investigations
Factors that Can Influence What PIs Earn
2024 Job Trends and Hourly Pay Rates
Private Investigator Salaries by State
Common Pay Structure and Compensation Models for PIs
This is a field where you’re not always dealing with a conventional pay structure like you might find in other professions. A significant proportion of PIs work independently to serve individual clients and run their agencies as sole proprietorships, while other firms might represent a number of PIs that have either partnered up or otherwise employ investigators on the payroll.
Some PIs charge a set rate for certain basic services when they have a sense of how much work will go into it. Charging hourly is also standard, sometimes calculated and billed down to fractions of an hour the same way an attorney would. Some cases are more involved and open-ended, so PIs might hold a retainer as a minimum fee to cover a certain number of hours.
So to give a full and accurate picture of what the income is like, we needed to pull together data from a number of different sources, including reported income that comes through salary surveys conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the reporting arm of the Department of Labor, as well as job listings. In the end, you’ll find that we provide the most complete information available on salary and income in the field of private investigations.
While a good portion of private investigators work as employees of PI agencies, financial institutions, insurance companies, and credit collection companies and earn a standard salary, many also work as independent contractors, calling their own shots and earning an annual income based on the number of cases they take or the hours they bill.
2023 BLS stats show us that the job outlook of private investigators is growing. Between 2023 and 2033 the number of PI jobs nationwide is projected to increase by 5%.
The states with the highest rates for PI job increases (2022-2032) are:
- Washington State: +34%
- Vermont: +25%
- Utah: +25%
- Texas: +24.6%
- Nevada: +20.5%
As of 2023 private investigators hold 34,600 jobs with the largest employers of private investigators constituting:
- General merchandise retailers employ 31% of all PIs nationally
- Credit intermediation companies employ 9%
- Local government agencies employ 6%
- Company and enterprise management employ 5%
- Legal services companies employ 4%
Together these employers make up around 56% of the market. That leaves plenty of room for PIs who are classified as being self-employed or sole proprietors.
PIs working as independent contractors or business owners charge either a flat fee or an hourly charge for each assignment:
- Flat Fee: Flat fees are ideal for jobs that are fairly straightforward. For example, PIs performing background checks for an employer would likely charge a flat fee per assignment.
- Hourly Fee: Hourly fees are commonplace in private investigations, and the rates PIs charge may differ depending on the complexity of the job. It’s common for PIs to charge additional fees to cover travel expenses, airfare, car rental, hotel, and per diem, in addition to an hourly fee. PIs charging an hourly fee often require a retainer (an initial deposit) before accepting a case. The amount of the retainer often varies according to the amount of time the PI expects the case to take and is used to pay the PI’s billable hours and other expenses. Billable hours include active working hours, as well as hours spent making phone calls, drafting documents, researching, printing, and traveling, among others. PIs often charge higher hourly rates for evening and weekend work.
Salary Trends in Private Investigations
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides a complete breakdown of what you can expect to earn as a private investigator based on surveys of professionals with active licenses working in the field. Surveys provide a snapshot that can be very accurate for certain industries where PIs more often receive steady paychecks as payroll employees as opposed to working as independent investigators that charge set fees or certain services or bill out hourly. Surveys are only limited by the fact that they are voluntary, so they represent information from investigators that made the decision to share information on what they earn.
As of May 2023, the average annual income for PIs nationwide is $60,270. The highest earners in the field (top 10%)—often those with a lot of experience and some formal education—earn a salary that starts at $96,600.
You’ll likely be among the top paid private investigators in the nation if you work in one of the following industries, which report the highest annual mean wages (listed below) for PIs in 2023:
- Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution: $110,090
- General medical and surgical hospitals: $97,060
- Rail transportation: $89,460
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (other): $89,030
- Insurance carriers: $88,680
It’s a battle of the coasts when it comes to the states that offer the highest average PI salaries.
Washington State traditionally doesn’t even rank in the top-5, and in 2022 it barely made the list at fifth-place. However it takes the number one spot as of 2023.
Virginia has made the list for the last two years, where personal wealth and some of the nation’s largest corporations create a lot of demand for private investigators.
These are the full results for the top-5 states offering the highest average PI salaries:
- Washington State: $78,320
- Oregon: $72,660
- New York: $71,560
- Virginia: $71,340
- Hawaii: $68,190
The top-paying metro areas in terms of annual mean wages are:
- Seattle, WA: $84,650
- Richmond, VA: $79,470
- Charlotte, NC: $78,800
- San Francisco, CA: $76,650
- Portland, OR: $76,450
- Salem, OR: $73,700
- Washington DC: $72,720
- Norwich, CT: $72,430
- Honolulu, HI: $71,300
- San Jose, CA: $70,830
As of 2023 these are the rural areas offering the highest average PI salaries in the nation:
- Western Washington, WA: $67,850
- West Tennessee: $55,960
- Northwest Illinois: $55,840
- West Central Illinois: $54,170
- Central East New York: $51,940
Factors that Can Influence What PIs Earn
Not all PIs can and do charge the same hourly/assignment fee, just as not all salaried PIs are paid the same. In the field of private investigations, experience and formal investigative training is everything. Investigators with extensive backgrounds in investigations and law enforcement, and those with formal college degrees in areas like criminal justice often command higher pay.
And that’s not just the case with independent investigators. Many employers look for candidates who come to the table with both education and relevant professional experience, while others have much higher starting offers and pay scales for investigators with comprehensive resumes showcasing both formal education and relevant job experience.
Experience:
Private investigations is largely the domain of retired and former police officers, detectives, criminal investigators, and military personnel. And with their extensive experience in the field and deep understanding of the legal process, private investigations is a natural fit for these professionals.
Even for those without law enforcement or military backgrounds, experience can be gained working in a support role for a licensed PI, conducting public records investigations for law offices or government agencies, or even with companies that routinely perform investigations for the purpose of vetting contractors and new hires or verifying claimant statements as is the case with insurance companies. Investigative experience of any kind goes a long way toward building your resume and positioning yourself as an expert in the field – something you’ll need if you expect to charge a premium for your services.
Plus, in many states, experience in investigations isn’t just preferred – it’s required to become licensed. For example, in California, you’ll need at least three years of investigative experience of this sort under your belt before you can qualify for state licensure.
Education:
Private investigators who have achieved a solid understanding of the law and criminal justice system through an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, law, police science or a related field often command a higher pay.
An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in an area related to investigations or criminal justice can also be very helpful when taking the state licensing exams required in some states. And in many states, a degree can substitute for some of the experience required for licensure. For example, in California, an associate’s degree in criminal justice, criminal law, or police science can be substituted for a half year of experience, while a law degree or a bachelor’s in police science can be substituted for one year of experience.
Specialization:
Although many private investigators choose to offer general investigative services, perhaps just as many choose to focus their careers on one or more areas of specialization. Individual clients and companies that perform investigations in the course of their business may seek out—and pay more for—private investigators who come with expert knowledge (through education and/or experience) in a particular area like:
- Criminal investigation
- Terrorism and intelligence
- Computer forensics
- Marital investigation
- Nursing home abuse investigation
- Insurance investigation
- Pre-employment/employee investigations
Professional Association Membership or Certification:
Membership/certification in a professional association is a sure-fire way to set yourself apart from the competition, position yourself as a leader in your field, and command higher fees or paychecks, as the case may be. It’s also where you’ll find outstanding opportunities to network, participate in training and education classes and events, come together with your colleagues through workshops and conferences, and stay up-to-date on the latest legislative changes to the profession. Not only does membership in a professional association allow you to display a commitment to your profession, it adds another layer of credibility.
You’ll find many great opportunities to get involved through state-level professional membership associations. At the national level, ASIS is a big name in security and private investigations, with a membership of more than 34,000.
PIs holding the ASIS Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) credential have shown an advanced level of training in evidence collection, case management, and preparation of reports and testimony. To qualify for the PCI credential, you must have at least five years of investigative experience, which includes at least two years in case management, and you must pass a certification exam.
2024 Job Trends and Hourly Pay Rate
Recent job postings (November 2024) provide valuable insight into what employers are paying private investigators in different areas of the country. But more than that, it gives a sense of who is hiring investigators into the more traditional salaried and hourly positions – from local and regional PI agencies to larger outfits that contract their services out to both private companies and government agencies to private security firms to specialized firms that work to vet prospective private sector and government employees for positions that involve working with sensitive information:
- Private Investigator, Delta Group, Philadelphia, PA: $20-$35/hour
- Pretrial Release Investigator, State of Maryland, Baltimore, MD: $19-$30/hour
- Private Investigator-Surveillance, Insight Service Group, Montpelier, VT: $20-$27/hour
- Special Agent, BNSF Railway, Seattle, WA: $43-$47/hour
- Special Investigations Manager, Health Care Service Corporation, Richardson, TX: $43-$77/hour
Private Investigators Salaries by State
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a breakdown of the number of licensed PIs by state, along with the range of salaries in each location (median to top 10%):
- Alabama: $48,710 – $71,170 (approximately 460 licensed PIs)
- Alaska: $57,450 – $100,780 (approximately 50 PIs)
- Arizona: $62,420 – $103,700 (approximately 900 licensed PIs)
- Arkansas: $42,850 – $102,640 (approximately 240 licensed PIs)
- California: $56,010 – $100,370 (approximately 4,290 licensed PIs)
- Colorado: $56,200 – $81,860 (approximately 680 licensed PIs)
- Connecticut: $69,680 – $91,350 (approximately 340 licensed PIs)
- Delaware: $45,700 – $65,740 (approximately 110 licensed PIs)
- District of Columbia: $60,690 – $81,740 (approximately 450 licensed PIs)
- Florida: $50,630 – $97,740 (approximately 3,620 licensed PIs)
- Georgia: $50,560 – $107,530 (approximately 830 licensed PIs)
- Hawaii: $62,090 – $136,280 (approximately 50 licensed PIs)
- Idaho: $44,890 – $48,780 (approximately 390 PIs)
- Illinois: $60,940 – $93,100 (approximately 1,910 licensed PIs)
- Indiana: $43,680 – $77,690 (approximately 570 licensed PIs)
- Iowa: $46,500 – $79,430 (approximately 150 licensed PIs)
- Kansas: $37,100 – $60,940 (approximately 210 licensed PIs)
- Kentucky: $45,320 – $67,190 (approximately 510 licensed PIs)
- Louisiana: $43,070 – $66,080 (approximately 880 licensed PIs)
- Maine: $46,380 – $63,910 (approximately 290 licensed PIs)
- Maryland: $58,040 – $88,980 (approximately 600 licensed PIs)
- Massachusetts: $57,920 – $107,560 (approximately 630 licensed PIs)
- Michigan: $47,690 – $80,600 (approximately 980 licensed PIs)
- Minnesota: $62,620 – $100,030 (approximately 730 licensed PIs)
- Mississippi: $36,340 – $87,660 (approximately 310 PIs)
- Missouri: $44,990 – $91,270 (approximately 430 licensed PIs)
- Montana: $45,100 – $82,160 (approximately 60 licensed PIs)
- Nebraska: $49,280 – $90,910 (approximately 100 licensed PIs)
- Nevada: $40,130 – $87,600 (approximately 350 licensed PIs)
- New Hampshire: $47,050 – $64,940 (approximately 230 licensed PIs)
- New Jersey: $46,410 – $97,400 (approximately 1,010 licensed PIs)
- New Mexico: $41,910 – $73,210 (approximately 150 licensed PIs)
- New York: $59,670 – $119,870 (approximately 1,510 licensed PIs)
- North Carolina: $60,940 – $96,860 (approximately 840 licensed PIs)
- North Dakota: $39,520 – $47,910 (approximately 50 licensed PIs)
- Ohio: $53,190 – $75,590 (approximately 1,490 licensed PIs)
- Oklahoma: $39,750 – $71,630 (approximately 290 licensed PIs)
- Oregon: $72,590 – $96,700 (approximately 470 licensed PIs)
- Pennsylvania: $47,740 – $91,520 (approximately 1,240 licensed PIs)
- Rhode Island: $64,580 – $92,740 (approximately 140 licensed PIs)
- South Carolina: $45,370 – $82,030 (approximately 360 licensed PIs)
- South Dakota: $46,840 – $73,230 (approximately 60 PIs)
- Tennessee: $44,760 – $96,000 (approximately 830 licensed PIs)
- Texas: $49,740 – $95,150 (approximately 2,760 licensed PIs)
- Utah: $45,360 – $82,450 (approximately 520 licensed PIs)
- Vermont: $43,140 – $70,300 (approximately 40 licensed PIs)
- Virginia: $59,690 – $119,760 (approximately 610 licensed PIs)
- Washington: $65,500 – $104,240 (approximately 720 licensed PIs)
- West Virginia: $40,190 – $107,340 (approximately 190 licensed PIs)
- Wisconsin: $47,700 – $81,430 (approximately 360 licensed PIs)
May 2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Salary and Job Market Figures for Private Detectives and Investigators reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2024.
Examples of private investigator positions were taken from a survey of job listings in November 2024 and are shown for illustrative purposes only. These examples do not represent job offers or positions that are currently available.
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