Detectives and Criminal Investigators Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $85K, rent takes 38% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,023/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new detectives and criminal investigators typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,029/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $85K locally vs. $94K nationally, a 10% difference.

North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area pays $85K median vs. the U.S. average of $94K — that’s -10%.

The median is $84,600 a year, that works out to about $41 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,480, and experienced detectives and criminal investigators can clear $110,760. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,325/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,023/month, which eats 38% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median detectives and criminal investigators salary is worth about $84,600 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.