Salary AI Book a Demo

Detective Salary in the United States

How much does a Detective make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Detective in the United States is $37,317 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $18.

However, a Detective's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $42,847
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $35,812 to $40,212
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $34,441
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Detective Salaries

A Detective's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Detective Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Detective's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $36,850
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $37,189
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $38,381
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $38,509
  • Expert (over 8 years): $38,594
Levels Salary
Entry Level Detective$36,850
Intermediate Level Detective$37,189
Senior Level Detective$38,381
Specialist Level Detective$38,509
Expert Level Detective$38,594
View as Graph

How Do Detective Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Detectives. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $41,317.
  • California: $41,161.
  • Massachusetts: $40,612.

Top Paying Cities for Detectives

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $47,068
  • San Francisco: $46,553
  • Oakland: $45,572

What Skills Can Increase a Detective's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Communication Skills (Mentioned in 9.91% Job Postings): Communication skills are your ability to share or understand information, ideas, and feelings successfully.
  • Asset Management (Mentioned in 1.85% Job Postings): Asset management refers to systematic approach to the governance and realization of value from the things that a group or entity is responsible for, over their whole life cycles. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as buildings or equipment) and to intangible assets (such as human capital, intellectual property, goodwill and/or financial assets). Asset management is a systematic process of developing, operating, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of assets in the most cost-effective manner (including all costs, risks and performance attributes). The term is commonly used in the financial sector to describe people and companies who manage investments on behalf of others. Those include, for example, investment managers that manage the assets of a pension fund. It is also increasingly used in both the business world and public infrastructure sectors to ensure a coordinated approach to the optimization of costs, risks, service/performance and sustainability.
  • First Aid (Mentioned in 0.29% Job Postings): First aid refers to medical attention that is usually administered immediately after the injury occurs and at the location where it occurred.
Skills Demand Percentage
Communication Skills 9.91%
Asset Management 1.85%
First Aid 0.29%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Detective's salary.

  • Team Operations: Can increase your salary by up to 90%.
  • Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 33%.
  • CPR: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Team Operations $70,902
90%
Analysis $49,632
33%
CPR $45,154
21%
Get Latest Data

Detective Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Detective roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Hospitality & Leisure, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Detective positions in Media typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Detective as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Detective

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Hospitality & Leisure$44,780$22.020%

How Education impacts a Detective's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Detectives enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Detective with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $35,333 and $40,070).

Detective Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Detective
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.0%
High School 31.6%
Associates 21.4%
Bachelors 40.8%
Masters 4.1%
Doctorate 1.0%
View as Graph

Detective Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Detective's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$35,812
Average $37,317/year
$40,212
$2,984
Average $3,110/month
$3,351
$689
Average $718/week
$773
$17
Average $18/hour
$19
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $40,212 $3,351 $773 $19
Average $37,317 $3,110 $718 $18
25th Percentile $35,812 $2,984 $689 $17

Most common benefits for Detective

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Detective

Here are companies hiring for Detective and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Detective Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Detective job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Detective

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Detective?

The Hospitality & Leisure industry offers the highest average compensation for Detective roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst