Private Detectives and Investigators
SOC 33-9021 · 2024-2034
Gather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $62,801per year
- Projected openings
- 4,230
- Projected change
- +6.4%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
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
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $83,404 | 20 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $80,782 | 250 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $71,476 | 360 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $70,177 | 290 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $61,825 | 1,520 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $61,541 | 370 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $61,336 | 120 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $59,641 | 450 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $59,320 | 540 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $58,754 | 100 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $53,118 | 440 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $47,709 | 90 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $47,010 | 50 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $47,010 | 60 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $41,826 | 30 |
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.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $128,002 | 9,580 | +4.5% |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | $82,166 | 11,860 | +6.7% |
| Protective Service Workers, All Other | $40,326 | 70,610 | +1.2% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $121,891 | 52,390 | +5.2% |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $93,330 | 14,440 | -7.7% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $168,113 | 9,390 | +5.3% |
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