Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 37,000 people employed as private detectives and investigators in the United States. The median annual salary is $59,380. Entry level employees earn approximately $32,130 per year and senior employees earn approximately $98,070 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages.
• Monitor industrial or commercial properties to enforce conformance to establishment rules and to protect people or property.
• Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history.
• Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds.
• Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases.
• Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence.
• Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status.
• Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras.
• Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions.
• Investigate companies' financial standings, or locate funds stolen by embezzlers, using accounting skills.
• Perform undercover operations, such as evaluating the performance or honesty of employees by posing as customers or employees.
• Alert appropriate personnel to suspects' locations.
• Write reports or case summaries to document investigations.
• Conduct private investigations on a paid basis.
• Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations.
• Apprehend suspects and release them to law enforcement authorities or security personnel.
• Warn troublemakers causing problems on establishment premises and eject them from premises when necessary.

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