Private detectives & investigators

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

93.6k

Average Age

43.6

Estimated Job Growth

8.29%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$65,948

Average Male Salary

$72,611

Average Female Salary

$58,314

About

Private detectives & investigators are most often employed by the Investigation & security services industry. The average yearly wage for Private detectives & investigators was $65,948 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Private detectives & investigators are Benton County PUMA, AR, Newark City & Brookside PUMA, DE, and Southeast South Dakota (Outside Sioux Falls City) PUMA, SD. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Private detectives & investigators are Newark City & Brookside PUMA, DE, Columbus (North), Westerville & Worthington Cities PUMA, OH, and Southeast South Dakota (Outside Sioux Falls City) PUMA, SD.

Photo by Osajus Photography

Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment and salary information for the Private detectives & investigators workforce. Private detectives & investigators workforce in 2021 was 93,577 people, of which 46.6% were women and 53.4% were men. Private detectives & investigators are paid most in Woodbury City PUMA, NJ but are relatively concentrated in Newark City & Brookside PUMA, DE.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

49,966

Male Workforce

± 5.49k

43,611

Female Workforce

± 5.13k

The Private detectives & investigators workforce in 2021 was 93,577 people (46.6% women and 53.4% men). This implies an average annual growth of 22% between 2014 (76,686) and 2021 (93,577).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Private detectives & investigators.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Massachusetts ($94,316), Maryland ($87,319), and Virginia ($81,569).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$65,948

AVERAGE WAGE

#170 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Private detectives & investigators earned an average of $65,948, $6,352 more than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Private detectives & investigators in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.334

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Private detectives & investigators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.334, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Private detectives & investigators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Private detectives & investigators compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Private detectives & investigators and on wages for those in the field. Investigation & security services is the industry that employs the most Private detectives & investigators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Private detectives & investigators, by average wage, is Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing ($192,499).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

93.6k

2021 Workforce

± 7,508

6.99%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.8%

This graphic shows the share of Private detectives & investigators employed by various industries. Investigation & security services employs the largest share of Private detectives & investigators at 43%, followed by Banking & related activities with 42.1% and Administration of human resource programs with 14.9%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Private detectives & investigators in the US. The workforce of Private detectives & investigators in 2021 was 93,577 people, with 46.6% woman, and 53.4% men. The average age of male Private detectives & investigators in the workforce is 45.2 and of female Private detectives & investigators is 41.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Private detectives & investigators is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Private detectives & investigators in 2021 was 93,577 people, with 46.6% woman, and 53.4% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (12,699 people), 35 to 39 years (11,880 people), and 40 to 44 years (11,761 people). Among them they concentrated 39.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 15.1% of Private detectives & investigators workers were Hispanic and 84.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (72.6%), Puerto Rican (20)%, and Colombian (7.36)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 68% of the Private detectives & investigators workforce were White, of which 43.5% were women and 56.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (6.83%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Private detectives & investigators from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Private detectives & investigators is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Protective Services.

Among the necessary skills for Private detectives & investigators, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Private detectives & investigators need more than the average amount of Programming.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Private detectives & investigators in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (11,162 people), Protective Services (10,349 people), and Social Sciences (6,755 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Private detectives & investigators workers were Bachelors Degree (37,223 people), Some college (19,469 people), and Graduate Degree (16,237 people).

The graphic shows the Private detectives & investigators workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Private detectives & investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Private detectives & investigators need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Private Detectives and Investigators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Private Detectives and Investigators are expected to see a growth of 8.29% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Private Detectives and Investigators.

8.29%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Private detectives & investigators. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.