Private Investigator Salary Guide: What Do They Make?

With any career choice, there are many questions that need to be answered. Aside from whether being a private investigator is a rewarding career or a career worth pursuing, the much larger question inevitably becomes, how much does a private investigator make? Or what’s the typical private investigator salary to expect? The salary of a private investigator is understandably important, however, there are some important things to consider and to expect when entering the industry which will be discussed in this article.  

What is Your Investigative Career Goal? 

Before you can know where you are going, you have to have a destination in mind. That destination can change but it is important to have a direction otherwise we are traveling aimlessly. So take a minute to consider this question whether you are thinking of entering the private investigation industry, whether you are in the industry or maybe you want this to be a stepping stone that leads to something else like a business, something government related or even something insurance-related. If you still don’t know, that is ok.

I didn’t know exactly what my career goal was when I got out of the Army in 2002. I was just trying to keep my head above water. I was newly married, working a dead-end loss prevention job, and had a new paper route and I had a little girl that was going to be born soon. I liked being married so I needed a job that took my skills and paid me enough to do one job. That ended up being private investigations. If you want to read more about how this all came about, I share that story in the book I wrote along with some other helpful advice.

Once I realized I was pretty good at conducting surveillance I had aspirations of moving up within the company and the company happened to have availability for upward movement.

I moved up the ladder within a very large investigative company and was making roughly $45,000 a year as a territory supervisor. There were not many positions or steps above the level I had reached. I might not have made more than 45K a year had I remained with the company.

I was about 6 or 7 years in the private investigation industry before I finally started my own agency in Washington state where I made nearly three times as much working as a sub-contractor and working my own files.

My advice is to determine what your goals are going to be before you become a private investigator. Here are some questions to consider:

Lifetime Investigation Employee?

Are you going to be an employee of another company for your entire career? Doing this will severely limit how much you will make among other things.

Open Your Own Private Investigation Agency?

Will you use the experience gained while working for a company to eventually open up your own company? Doing this will give you no limit as to the amount of income you can make.

Leverage Your Experience for Something Greater?

Will you use the experience as a stepping stone into another career path? Will you work for an insurance company or a corporation?

Determining what you will do early on is to your benefit as it will help you determine the different steps you will take early on in your career.

What will be an acceptable income for you as a private investigator?

What is an Acceptable Private Investigator Salary for You?

I Couldn’t Win

There have been moments in my career where I was working 60 hours a week, traveling constantly away from home, and making quite a bit more money than anticipated. The more I worked, and worked away from home, the more I missed out on special moments with my daughter. Unpredictable hours and extensive travel also put a strain on my marriage. As an employee for an investigation company, the only way to make more money is to work more (generally speaking).

And since private investigations are very unpredictable with a consistent (or inconsistent) schedule and hours, I have been on the opposite end of the spectrum with little to no work as an employee which means I was bringing very little income to the family. And that too put stress on my marriage and our finances.

How Will You Win?

What will be an acceptable income for you as a private investigator? What is the least amount you can financially make?

What sacrifices are you willing to make to remain within the industry? Will you miss out on family time?

Average Annual Wage for Private Investigators

The Mean annual wage for private investigators in 2021 was $60,970 according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The lowest median annual wage was $32,130 (bottom 10 percent) and the top 90 percent was $98,070.

While $90,000 sounds wonderful, what these statistics don’t break down is where those numbers come from. Are the high wage numbers from investigation company directors and vice presidents? Are they from the owners of small investigation firms?

Be sure to look at the wage table below for some insights regarding wages in your state.

What Entry Level Private Investigator Salary Can you Expect?

The very simple answer to this question is between $20.00 to $25.00 an hour depending on the company. There is no guarantee of an expected yearly salary. As previously stated it can vary depending on the workload your company has and your investigative abilities.  The salary may be lower if the company you work for provides more perks than another company. Of course, the starting salary is lower or higher depending on the state you live in.

What salary can experienced private investigators expect to make working for a company?

Experienced private investigators (2 years or more) can expect a starting private investigator salary as a field investigator of $23 to $28 an hour depending on the company. Remember that making an hourly wage does not always translate into a specific yearly wage.  

You will find that some investigation companies ask for way more qualifications than other companies but the pay doesn’t connect with the requirements.

There will be times that you will have no work.  Investigators may have short work days because they the lose subject of surveillance or because someone might not show up for a scheduled interview.  If the subject isn’t home when you arrive on a surveillance, that could impact the work day as well.  I discuss how to live off an employee salary in another article.

The Highest Paid States for Private Investigators in 2021

The numbers that come out of 2021 are very interesting especially as it relates to the top paid private investigator being located in Colorado. While Colorado is relatively expensive to live in, it is certainly not the most expensive state to live in. That is all to say that the pay for investigators is above the norm as it relates to the cost of living. California and New York with some of the highest costs of living did not make the top five which tells me either there is a lot of competition, or those states haven’t caught up. It could also be affected by COVID though I don’t have the data to support that.

What salary can be expected of a Private Investigation Business owner?

Hopefully, if you have decided on the private investigation career path you have also decided to have your own business as well. I have written about how to start a private investigation business here if you are interested.

Being a business owner can be a scary thing but the opportunities are really endless. Private Investigation Agency owners can make anywhere from $0 a year to $_________ (that means there is no cap or boundary limit). Typical Private Investigation Agency owners charge anywhere from $60.00 an hour to over $100.00 an hour. The amount that is charged can depend on the assignment, what you specialize in and how good you are at what you do.

If the Salary of a Private Investigator Job Listing is Low Should You Take the Job?

A friend of mine that’s an investigator once told me he found a company that was hiring private investigators with no experience at a starting salary of $12.00 an hour, and that the company would train the potential investigator. He felt that the starting salary was grossly low. This was about a decade ago and I felt it was extremely low as well.

My feeling is that even though the starting wage was low at the time, it was a great opportunity for someone to get their foot in the door and gain some experience as a private investigator. A company is rarely willing to train individuals to become private investigators.

People from all over the world are looking for an opportunity to get into an investigation career. Once you gain some experience you can find another company to work for so you can make a livable wage. This also applies to internships. Working as an intern for free gives you the chance to gain experience and start your career as a private investigator. I have seen firsthand where interns were hired with the company they were interning for.

Compare Investigator Job Listings

More recently I found some companies that were hiring private investigators. I was familiar with some of them but with others, I was not.

One company had a starting wage of $24 an hour and required a bachelor’s degree, experience, and the ability to secure a security clearance (right side of the photo below). If the investigator was working full time and worked 40 hours a week, that would add up to $49,920 a year. This is assuming the investigator even receives or is able to bill out 40 hours a week. This job is in Colorado and you saw above what the cost of a home is in that state.

The job listing on the left side of the picture was from a company I am familiar with and have done work for in the past. Their job listing pays $35,000 to $65,000 a year. Now $35,000 a year comes out to $16.83 an hour. I would be surprised if they started anyone at that wage but the number could also relate to the number of hours an investigator would work and not necessarily the hourly wage.

But what was most interesting is the requirements. There was no college degree request, no need for a security clearance and I would imagine the two companies probably pay about the same.

If you would like to read more about the education needed to become a private investigator I have written more about that here.

What is the future of the Private Investigation Job Market?

There will always be a need for a private investigator’s services.  The need will vary depending on your location, laws, the economy, and the services you provided.  The investigation industry should continue to grow year over year as there will always be a need for investigators.

Private investigations have expanded to new markets with the internet age and with the advancement in technology.  The more markets that are available means more opportunities for others to enter the investigation field.  In my opinion, things look good for the industry.

2021 Median Wages List in the United States for Private Investigators

State	Number Employed	Hourly Median Wage	Annual Median Wage
Alabama	120	30.57	63,590
Alaska	80	29.97	62,130
Arizona	700	24.38	50,710
Arkansas	170	38.89	80,880
California	3610	30.29	63,010
Colorado	360	37.70	78,420
Connecticut	380	30.94	64,360
Delaware	40	21.42	44,550
Florida	2630	27.98	58,200
Georgia	1020	24.29	50,530
Hawaii	50	28.66	59,610
Idaho	110	23.68	49,260
Illinois	1560	35.02	72,840
Indiana	390	22.62	47,040
Iowa	70	25.51	53,050
Kansas	120	25.19	52,390
Kentucy	360	21.79	45,330
Louisiana	660	23.23	48,320
Maryland	850	24.55	51,060
Massachusetts	290	30.31	63,050
Michigan	990	24.30	50,550
Minnessota	340	31.67	65,870
Mississippi	140	15.30	31,820
Missouri	260	37.03	77,030
Montana	70	30.69	63,840
Nebraska	70	36.83	76,610
Nevada	100	37.73	78,480
New Hampshire	200	31.11	64,700
New Jersey	680	20.29	42,210
New Mexico	70	29.98	61,310
New York	1110	29.61	61,590
North Carolina	1080	33.42	69,520
Ohio	1690	23.45	48,770
Oklahoma	190	19.01	39,550
Oregon	400	36.98	76,920
Pennsylvania	2180	24.29	50,530
Puerto Rico	50	15.91	33,090
Rhode Island	210	30.33	63,090
South Carolina	210	23.06	47,960
South Dakota	50	29.07	60,460
Tennessee	400	23.95	49,810
Texas	2360	25.26	52, 540
Utah	130	23.87	49,650
Virginia	1500	31.83	66, 200
Washington	530	31.11	64,700
West Virginia	60	23.06	47,960
Wisconsin	120	22.89	47,600