The average annual salaries for detectives and criminal investigators in the state of West Virginia are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of detectives and criminal investigators among West Virginia metropolitan areas 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].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $41,700 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $47,150 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $70,680 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $129,750 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $149,410 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for detectives and criminal investigators in West Virginia in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $149,410. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $70,680. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $41,700.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of detectives and criminal investigators from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $70,680 | -10.71% | 45.74% |
| 2021 | $78,250 | -22.56% | - |
| 2020 | $95,900 | -1.13% | - |
| 2019 | $96,980 | -0.88% | - |
| 2018 | $97,830 | 23.06% | - |
| 2017 | $75,270 | -17.92% | - |
| 2016 | $88,760 | 53.48% | - |
| 2015 | $41,290 | 5.57% | - |
| 2014 | $38,990 | -2.67% | - |
| 2013 | $40,030 | 4.20% | - |
| 2012 | $38,350 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of detectives and criminal investigators in some West Virginia cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of detectives and criminal investigators in state of West Virginia ranges from $36,370 to $142,420. The highest paying area for detectives and criminal investigators in West Virginia is Hagerstown-Martinsburg with a median annual salary of $142,420. The second highest paying city/area in West Virginia State is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (mean annual salary $130,350). The lowest paying area is Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $36,370.