National Salary Info » Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Highest Paying Industries for Detectives and Criminal Investigators

The top 20 highest paying industries for detectives and criminal investigators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $99,790, federal executive branch (oes designation) is the highest paying industry for detectives and criminal investigators. It is followed by federal government, including usps industry (average annual salary $99,780). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of detectives and criminal investigators in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 20 Highest Paying Industries for Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$99,790	$80,890	42,120
2	Federal government, including USPS	$99,780	$80,660	42,640
3	Postal Service (federal government)	$87,410	$73,970	520
4	Transportation and Warehousing	$87,410	$73,970	520
5	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$79,870	$40,770	108,670
6	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$79,780	$40,740	107,990
7	Federal, State, and Local Government	$79,780	$40,740	107,990
8	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$68,030	$40,860	60
9	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$68,030	$40,860	60
10	Hospitals - State government owned	$67,470	$50,230	80
11	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$67,340	$49,120	80
12	Health Care and Social Assistance	$67,340	$49,120	80
13	Educational Services	$66,090	$38,060	140
14	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$66,060	$37,940	140
15	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$61,280	$37,220	45,690
16	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$61,280	$37,220	45,690
17	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$56,650	$34,520	90
18	Educational Services - State government owned	$56,600	$34,570	90
19	State government, including schools and hospitals	$55,910	$36,380	20,340
20	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$55,850	$36,380	20,180