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Detectives and Criminal Investigators in California

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Detectives and Criminal Investigators in California

Get the information you need to know about working as a Detective or Criminal Investigator.

4.8% Jobs Projection
$100,310 Median Salary
850 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in California is growing slower than average.

  • Detectives and Criminal Investigators in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Detectives and Criminal Investigators Work in California?

11,250 people worked as Detectives and Criminal Investigators in 2018 in this state.

There were 11,700 Detectives and Criminal Investigators employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 450 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 1,050 Detectives and Criminal Investigators working in it, which means California has more Detectives and Criminal Investigators than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in this state are growing at a rate of 4.8% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 4.5%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 850 annual job openings, and a total of 13,000 jobs for California Detectives and Criminal Investigators in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 7,500 annual jobs and 115,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Detectives and Criminal Investigators Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Detectives and Criminal Investigators ranged from $73,710 to $150,460 with $100,310 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $35.44 to $72.33. The median hourly rate was $48.23.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $45.94 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $2.29.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Detectives and Criminal Investigators

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Detectives and Criminal Investigators.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,730 $124,560
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,900 $94,880
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 1,000 $91,120
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 980 $101,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 710 $122,740
El Centro, CA 620 $83,180
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 320 $107,090
Fresno, CA 240 $91,110
Bakersfield, CA 130 $94,930
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 100 $135,760
Modesto, CA 90 $82,720
Visalia-Porterville, CA 80 n/a
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 50 $97,790
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 40 $78,010
Stockton-Lodi, CA 40 $92,370
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 40 $111,930
Santa Rosa, CA 30 $92,920

Top States for Detectives and Criminal Investigators Employment

View the list below to see where most Detectives and Criminal Investigators work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Texas 15,930 $82,260
California 11,250 $100,310
New York 8,880 $84,340
Florida 6,600 $64,450
Arizona 5,810 $83,730
Georgia 3,680 $53,640
New Jersey 3,130 $103,530
District of Columbia 3,050 $133,330
Virginia 2,980 $93,550
Illinois 2,940 $84,540
Pennsylvania 2,830 $77,340
North Carolina 2,780 $50,920
Washington 2,350 $84,580
Michigan 1,980 $80,300
Ohio 1,930 $67,970
Missouri 1,810 $66,000
Colorado 1,780 $83,940
Louisiana 1,770 $51,160
New Mexico 1,610 $83,170
Minnesota 1,490 $72,780

Below are the states where Detectives and Criminal Investigators get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia $133,330
Alaska $129,090
Hawaii $106,630
Maryland $106,000
New Jersey $103,530
California $100,310
West Virginia $97,830
Massachusetts $94,560
Virginia $93,550
Oregon $92,610

What Major Will Prepare You For a Detective or Criminal Investigator Career?

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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