Private Detectives: Job, Salary, and School Information from The Riley Guide

Job Numbers and Growth

There are about 52,000 private detectives in the United States. Unemployment for this occupation is high when compared to other careers.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

11% of employees work on a part-time basis. 30% of the time, people working as private detectives are their own boss.

Training and Education

If you want to pursue this career, you will benefit from having work experience in a related occupation. The percentage of employees with a 4 year degree is 52%. According to 2008 data 30% of private detectives have attended college, but do not have a degree. Among workers, 18% have a high-school diploma, but no college education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which, if any, could help you with this career.

Area Job Conditions

Jobs for this occupation are most common in Kingsport (Tennessee), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), and Houma (Louisiana), but are rarer in Memphis (Tennessee), Rochester (New York), and Nashville (Tennessee).

Private detectives are paid comparatively more in Riverside (California), Oakland (California), and Edison (New Jersey) and comparatively less in Rochester (New York), Nashville (Tennessee), and Jacksonville (Florida).

Career Overview Video About Private Detectives

Private Detectives: Job and Salary Data by Metropolitan Area

The table below shows data for Private Detectives, as of 2008. The Popularity in Area number tells you how common jobs for Private Detectives are in the area, compared to other US metro areas. A value of 1.0 means an average number of people in the position for area population. Lower numbers mean fewer of these positions in the metro area. The most popular areas for Private Detectives are starred .

State	Area	Positions	Typical Pay	Popularity in Area
Alaska	Anchorage	70	$54,260	2.9
Arizona	Phoenix	490	$49,030	1.7
Arkansas	Little Rock	50	$38,360	1
California	Fresno	100	$55,710	2
California	Oakland	190	$74,290	1.2
California	Riverside	360	$80,130	1.8
California	San Francisco	760	$57,360	4.9
California	Santa Ana	330	$63,030	1.4
Colorado	Colorado Springs	30	$39,750	0.8
Colorado	Denver	320	$42,450	1.6
Connecticut	Hartford	50	$47,150	0.6
Connecticut	Norwich	40	$38,620	2.2
Delaware	Wilmington	30	$51,880	0.6
Florida	Cape Coral	90	$43,670	2.8
Florida	Jacksonville	360	$26,640	3.8
Florida	Lakeland	70	$42,690	2.4
Florida	Miami	290	$44,350	1.9
Florida	Orlando	410	$35,430	2.5
Florida	Sarasota	110	$41,280	2.8
Florida	Tampa	710	$40,740	3.7
Florida	West Palm Beach	130	$37,960	1.6
Georgia	Atlanta	1,200	$36,030	3.2
Hawaii	Honolulu	50	$46,780	0.7
Idaho	Boise	30	$50,530	0.7
Iowa	Des Moines	40	$50,960	0.8
Kentucky	Louisville	50	$36,570	0.5
Louisiana	Houma	70		5.1
Louisiana	Lafayette	40	$38,770	1.9
Maryland	Baltimore	950	$41,560	4.7
Michigan	Detroit	170	$44,750	1.5
Missouri	Kansas City	520	$39,410	3.2
Nevada	Las Vegas	130	$50,290	0.9
New Jersey	Edison	160	$66,700	1
New Jersey	Newark	370	$62,690	2.3
New Jersey	Trenton	50	$44,590	1.5
New York	Buffalo	190	$37,000	2.3
New York	Nassau	340	$46,560	1.7
New York	New York	840	$58,530	1
New York	Rochester	30	$35,880	0.4
North Carolina	Charlotte	170	$56,930	1.2
North Carolina	Raleigh	310	$42,590	3.9
North Carolina	Winston Salem	80	$33,470	2.5
Ohio	Cincinnati	210	$39,280	1.3
Ohio	Columbus	170	$49,470	1.2
Ohio	Dayton	230	$34,800	3.8
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	220	$34,430	2.5
Oklahoma	Tulsa	140		2.1
Oregon	Portland	130	$44,450	0.8
Pennsylvania	Allentown	110		2.1
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	100	$57,330	2.1
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	660		2.2
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	990	$35,830	5.6
Pennsylvania	Reading	80	$51,050	3.3
Pennsylvania	Scranton	170	$38,240	4.3
Rhode Island	Providence	60	$47,540	0.7
South Carolina	Charleston	30	$35,990	0.7
Tennessee	Kingsport	130	$40,900	7.8
Tennessee	Knoxville	260		5.1
Tennessee	Memphis	40	$37,990	0.4
Tennessee	Nashville	40	$32,240	0.3
Texas	Austin	570	$45,160	4.8
Texas	Beaumont	30	$36,260	1.3
Texas	Corpus Christi	40	$52,320	1.5
Texas	Dallas	400	$52,530	1.2
Texas	El Paso	80	$34,850	2
Texas	Fort Worth	120	$48,890	0.9
Texas	Houston	350	$45,450	0.9
Texas	San Antonio	360	$53,690	2.7
Washington	Seattle	210	$50,930	0.9
Washington	Spokane	50		1.6
Washington	Tacoma	130	$44,870	3.2

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Private Detectives