Detectives and Criminal Investigators
SOC 33-3021 · 2024-2034
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $128,002per year
- Projected openings
- 9,580
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Complex Problem Solving
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $161,351 | 180 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $147,323 | 50 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $133,674 | 1,680 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $133,048 | 30 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $129,973 | 1,120 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $129,867 | 260 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $128,867 | 330 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $124,780 | 600 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $122,208 | 2,350 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $121,376 | 540 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $117,673 | 50 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $113,672 | 30 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $112,953 | 1,370 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $110,104 | 30 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $108,952 | 30 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $107,965 | 290 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $107,183 | 50 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $102,874 | 180 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $99,634 | 40 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $97,248 | 40 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $93,330 | 30 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $90,533 | 50 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $80,263
- A quarter earn under
- $101,784
- Half earn under
- $128,002
- Three quarters earn under
- $139,465
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $169,702
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Detectives and Investigators | $62,801 | 4,230 | +6.4% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $121,891 | 52,390 | +5.2% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $168,113 | 9,390 | +5.3% |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | $82,166 | 11,860 | +6.7% |
| Compliance Officers | $98,607 | 43,870 | +7% |
| Forensic Science Technicians | $104,958 | 4,050 | +14.3% |
Programs that train for this job — 14
Private Security Officer (Unarmed)
M-5 Training School of Protective Services · Lancaster · $600
Private Security Officer (Armed) and School Security officer
M-5 Training School of Protective Services · Lancaster · $2,455
Cert. of Achievement Administration of Justice Law Enforcement
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,795
Cert. of Achievement Administration of Justice Security Specialist
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,326
Private Security Officer (Armed & School Security Officer)
Employed Security Service Center, Inc. · Long Beach · $2,500
Homeland Security Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $1,251
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE-Criminal Law (Certificate of Achievement)
Los Medanos College · Pittsburg · $1,139
Administration of Justice Associate of Science Degree
Mendocino College · Ukiah · $3,812
Administration of Justice Certificate of Achievement
Mendocino College · Ukiah · $2,006
Basic Law Enforcement Academy (Certificate of Achievement)
Allan Hancock College · Santa Maria · $4,471
Police Science
Westchester-Emerson Community Adult - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $1,159
POST Certified Basic Police Academy - Intensive
College of the Sequoias · Visalia · $5,232
Administration of Justice
San Bernardino Valley College · San Bernardino · $2,601
ADJUS Police/Law enforcement
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $1,889