Detectives and Criminal Investigators Salary Information in Texas

The average annual salaries for detectives and criminal investigators in the state of Texas are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of detectives and criminal investigators among Texas cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Texas (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$46,550
25th Percentile Wage
$56,970
50th Percentile Wage
$82,090
75th Percentile Wage
$95,220
90th Percentile Wage
$129,650

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for detectives and criminal investigators in Texas in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $129,650. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $82,090. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $46,550.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of detectives and criminal investigators from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$82,090
1.12% 9.79%
2021
$81,170
-3.98% -
2020
$84,400
2.70% -
2019
$82,120
-0.17% -
2018
$82,260
3.49% -
2017
$79,390
1.61% -
2016
$78,110
4.14% -
2015
$74,880
-13.84% -
2014
$85,240
1.27% -
2013
$84,160
12.01% -
2012
$74,050
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Texas Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of detectives and criminal investigators in some Texas cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of detectives and criminal investigators in state of Texas ranges from $47,530 to $95,220. The highest paying area for detectives and criminal investigators in Texas is El Paso with a median annual salary of $95,220. The second highest paying city/area in Texas State is Brownsville-Harlingen (mean annual salary $95,220). The lowest paying area is Wichita Falls with a median annual salary of $47,530.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
El Paso
$95,220
Brownsville-Harlingen
$95,220
Laredo
$92,970
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
$92,580
Dallas-Plano-Irving
$92,280
Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area
$89,940
Gulf Coast Texas nonmetropolitan area
$89,940
Midland
$82,760
San Antonio-New Braunfels
$82,090
Lubbock
$79,510
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
$78,240
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
$74,970
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
$69,370
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area
$66,210
Corpus Christi
$64,460
Central Texas nonmetropolitan area
$62,400
Sherman-Denison
$62,210
San Angelo
$60,270
Tyler
$60,150
College Station-Bryan
$59,940
Waco
$59,700
Fort Worth-Arlington
$59,320
Beaumont-Port Arthur
$58,930
Amarillo
$57,810
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood
$57,300
Victoria
$57,000
Texarkana-Texarkana
$54,680
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area
$50,990
Abilene
$50,350
Odessa
$49,150
Longview
$48,300
North Central Texas nonmetropolitan area
$47,550
Wichita Falls
$47,530