As of April 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Criminal Investigator in the United States is $36. While Salary.com is seeing that Criminal Investigator salary in the US can go up to $46 or down to $28, but most earn between $31 and $41. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Criminal Investigator in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $41 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| Average | $36 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $31 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
As of April 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Criminal Investigator with under 1 year experience makes about $70,306. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Criminal Investigator makes around $70,960. After 2-4 years, the Criminal Investigator pay rises to about $72,268. Those senior Criminal Investigator with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $76,171, and those Criminal Investigator having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $79,891 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Criminal Investigator | $70,306 |
| Intermediate Level Criminal Investigator | $70,960 |
| Senior Level Criminal Investigator | $72,268 |
| Specialist Level Criminal Investigator | $76,171 |
| Expert Level Criminal Investigator | $79,891 |
| Entry Level | 5% |
| Mid Level | 4% |
| Senior Level | 3% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 8% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Criminal Investigator is $81,876 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $80,785. While in New Jersey, a Criminal Investigator earns $80,458 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Criminal Investigator in San Francisco, CA is $92,706 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $86,025. While a Criminal Investigator earns $82,789 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Criminal Investigator salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of April 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Criminal Investigator compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $89,200 in 2023 to about $89,069 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Criminal Investigator salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Criminal Investigator information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Criminal Investigator job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Criminal Investigator and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $74,230 | 71.6% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $5,679 | 5.5% | ||
| 401K/403B | $3,637 | 3.5% | ||
| Disability | $1,188 | 1.1% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 6.1% | ||
| Pension | $3,118 | 3.0% | ||
| Time Off | $9,422 | 9.1% | ||
| Total Compensation | $103,643 | 100% | ||
Conducts investigations of criminal cases. Analyzes collected data or evidence and prepares documentation for legal action. Conducts surveillance and interviews witnesses. Interfaces with various law enforcement agencies. Often requires prior experience working in or closely with law enforecement. May require a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Years of experience may be unspecified. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Analysis: Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Forensics: Forensics is a scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime. Use of analytical and scientific techniques to examine evidence from crimes and prepare legal statements that summarize the results for court cases.
Health Care: Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration, or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people.
