The criminal investigator salary you earn may not be the same as someone else in your industry. There are a variety of factors that could influence the amount of money you make, including your experience location, employer, time on the job, and anything else along those lines. While it is hard to pinpoint your future earnings, it is possible to look at some of the national averages at this time to get a rough idea of what may be in store for you. Here are some charts to help you grasp what you may make when you begin work as a criminal investigator.
Average Criminal Investigator Salary
The chart below shows the average salary that a criminal investigator earns for the year:
The chart above is courtesy of PayScale.com, as is the information in the lists below. As you can see, there is a wide range in which your criminal investigator salary may fall, so it is hard to say exactly what you will earn in this field. Nevertheless this should provide you with a general idea of the earnings you may see in the future.
Criminal Investigator Salary by Industry
Criminal investigators can work in many different industries, and those industries play a role in the amount of money people can make in this field. Popular industries and salaries include:
- Business Intelligence/Private Investigation: $29,331 – $80,684
- Government/Public Law Offices: $31,395 – $78,704
- Government: $35,965 – $84,372
- Law Enforcement: $35,296 – $84,928
- National Defense: $32,885 – $89,554
Criminal Investigator Salary by Employer
The employer you work for will inevitably determine how much money you make. Some employers pay more for criminal investigators than others because of the demand they have for professionals in this field. Popular employers in the U.S. include:
- Office of the Attorney General: $36,000 – $71,000
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security: $66,204 – $89,592
Criminal Investigator Salary by Degree
The criminal justice degree you earn may not have a huge impact on your salary, but it is something to keep in mind. Popular salaries by degree include:
- Associate’s Degree: $31,057 – $64,500
- Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice: $31,152 – $117,586
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice: $26,400 – $126,000
- Bachelor’s Degree: $31,141 – $118,787
- Master of Science in Criminal Justice: $50,868 – $80,576
Criminal Investigator Salary by Gender
Men make up roughly 3/4 of currently employed criminal investigators, but that number is reducing with every year. While men and women typically earn around the same amount of money in this industry, statistics indicate that women make slightly more than their male counterparts in the field of criminal investigation. The salary levels range as follows:
- Male: $41,782 – $78,288
- Female: $43,457 – $82,875
Criminal Investigator Salary by Location
The location of your employment will have more of an impact on your earnings than your gender or college degree. Some locations offer a better criminal investigator salary than others because of the demand for investigators in the area. Here is a list of the top then highest paying cities for criminal investigators to give you an idea of where you may want to work in the future:
- (1) Buffalo, New York: $53,458 – $115,900
- (2) Washington, District of Columbia: $40,547 – $153,867
- (3) Houston, Texas: $61,042 – $110,055
- (4) New York, New York: $40,418 – $138,086
- (5) Los Angeles, California: $41,236 – $95,679
- (6) Baltimore, Maryland: $53,500 – $74,880
- (7) San Diego, California: $55,000 – $83,585
- (8) Chicago, Illinois: $55,000 – $83,585
- (9) Miami, Florida: $44,219 – $113,945
- (10) Phoenix, Arizona: $28,379 – $91,563
