National Averages

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were about 31,250 private detectives in 2009, earning a national average wage of about $22.66 per hour or about $47,130 per year. Detectives in the top 10th percentile of earners made about $36.52 per hour or about $75,970 per year, while those in the lowest 10th percentile earned about $11.88 per hour or about $24,700 per year.
  
  

Sectors With Greatest Employment

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the "investigation and security services" sector of the economy employed the largest number of private investigators out of all sectors in 2009. The estimated 14,620 workers in this sector earned an average wage of about $20.70 per hour or about $43,060 per year. The estimated 2,050 investigators in the "depository credit intermediation" sector, the sector with the second-largest number of private investigators, earned an average of $21.58 per hour or about $44,880 per year.
  
  

Highest-Paying Sectors

• Private investigators in the "management, scientific and technical consulting services" earned the highest average salaries in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The estimated 430 investigators in this sector made an average of about $43.28 an hour or about $90,030 per year. The investigators in the second-highest-paying sector, "natural gas distribution," earned an average of about $39.94 an hour or about $83,080 per year.
  
  

Benefits

• Private investigator benefits are largely dependent on their employers. About 21 percent of private detectives are self-employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and like all self-employed workers, they can have far fewer benefits than those employed in larger organizations or companies. About 41 percent of private detectives work for investigative or security services companies, while the rest, about 38 percent, work for a range of employers including state governments, law firms and general merchandise stores.