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Job outlook for police detectives in the United States
Police detective job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected police detective job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for police detectives are projected over the next decade.
Police detective salaries have increased 10% for police detectives in the last 5 years.
There are over 10,106 police detectives currently employed in the United States.
There are 74,958 active police detective job openings in the US.
The average police detective salary is $52,087.
Are police detective jobs in demand?
Police detective job and salary trends over time
Police detective jobs over time
Police detective job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,106 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 9,927 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 9,940 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 9,624 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 9,496 | 0.00% |
Average police detective salary over time
Police detective salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $52,087 | $25.04 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | $51,033 | $24.54 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $49,879 | $23.98 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $49,252 | $23.68 | +3.6% |
| 2022 | $47,532 | $22.85 | +3.3% |
Police detective jobs by state
Most common states for police detectives
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 75 | 11% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 66 | 7% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 65 | 6% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 47 | 6% |
| 5 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 476 | 5% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 291 | 5% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 356 | 4% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 318 | 4% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 277 | 4% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 258 | 4% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 234 | 4% |
| 12 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 133 | 4% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 90 | 4% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 72 | 4% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 56 | 4% |
| 16 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 51 | 4% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 38 | 4% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 22 | 4% |
| 19 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 394 | 3% |
| 20 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 59 | 3% |
Police Detective job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of police detective experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Curry College
Pennsylvania State University - Beaver
La Sierra University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a Police Detective?
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
What Police Detective skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jill Myers: Law Enforcement is a much needed and distinguished profession. Going into the field you need a thorough background in the criminal justice system, state and federal, a working knowledge of the laws and Constitutional dictates, and the ability to communicate well both verbally and in writing. The job requires the ability to not just talk the part, but to critically think and apply the skills learned in the classrooms with real people in real situations. You will need to start the job with the ability to be a hero, to respond to real events on perhaps the worst days of someone's life. The job requires knowledge, ethical conduct, and compassion for everyone, even those who have committed unlawful actions.
What will help Police Detectives increase their earning potential?
Jill Myers: I believe that knowledge of the legal limits of technology usage will increase dramatically over the next few years and decades. There are few crimes that do not involve investigations impacted by technological and cyber transactions. The ability to conduct cyber investigations, not computer programing or computer systems security per se, will increase the success of an investigation. Additionally, as disasters are increasing more frequently than ever before, both natural disasters (tornadoes, floods, fires, biological like COVID) and human made ones (mass shootings, war, terrorism), all of public safety must understand emergency management protocols, NIMS, hazmat responses, search and rescue, etc.
What general advice would you give to a Police Detective?
James Gibbens: Good Morning Alex, I am the Director of the Brevard Police Testing Center here at EFSC. While I am not an instructor or professor here at EFSC I have been an adjunct professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL since 2009 teaching Criminal Justice courses under the umbrella of the Psychology/Homeland Security Department. Prior to that I retired after 30 years from the Melbourne Police Department. If you want to send me some questions I can answer them.
What Police Detective skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
James Gibbens: Alex, See attached answers to the three questions below.
What will help Police Detectives increase their earning potential?
James Gibbens: Mr. Johnson, Good Morning, Our Law Enforcement/Corrections instructors are, for the most part, active law enforcement officers working in the field or recently retired from the industry. We have no full-time instructors/professors teaching in the Law Enforcement Academies. Most of our students are sponsored and employed when the Academy starts so there is little to no recruitment, everyone is paid to attend class. Brevard County has a number of Law Enforcement agencies. My suggestion is to contact one of the agencies and speak with their Human Resource Department. Locally, in today's employment climate there are many employment opportunities in the Public Safety Sectors.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Police Detective resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Police Detectives?
Jennifer Balboni: For those interested in law enforcement, coursework in community policing is critical for new graduates to have as a foundational background. Recognizing the importance of working with the community is absolutely vital to agencies establishing legitimacy within communities. In addition, coursework and/or certifications in (white collar) fraud examination, emergency management, and cybercrime investigations are an excellent background for new grads who are interested in law enforcement and investigations; each of these fields has increasingly been recognized as integral to successful planning and investigations in the criminal justice realm. In addition, fluency in a different language is always an asset in the criminal justice job market.
What will help Police Detectives increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Balboni: It's certainly been said before, but soft skills-the ability to communicate effectively with different individuals and groups, as well as the ability to advocate for others--are key competencies in the justice field. Being able to communicate with others, as well as understand and empathize with others--is a vital skill in this field.
More technically, graduates who are able to navigate the virtual/digital world will be prepared to help agencies transition to build more permanent digital programming into the fields of corrections, courts, and law enforcement moving forward. The digital programming that has cropped up as a result of this pandemic is likely not going away entirely once the pandemic is more under control-people like the flexibility it provides. The same is true in the justice realm: virtual connections have been integrated in various processes, facilitating important connections between support services and folks involved in the justice system.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Police Detectives?
Jodi Gill: In criminal justice, our "business" is people and can think critically and quickly in responding to them. In addition to required courses in the major, I always suggest students take classes in Psychology (at a minimum, an introductory period). Our society is also more diverse and global, so any levels which increase knowledge and understanding of other cultures are helpful. Foreign language skills are beneficial in the field, as well.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Police Detectives to find work opportunities?
Jodi Gill: Our field is not dependent on geography, and there are needs everywhere! Right now, it is an exciting time as governments are exploring additional ways to address issues beyond law enforcement. For example, restorative justice, mediation, and other community-related programs can proactively prevent crime before it happens. A degree in criminal justice can prepare graduates to contribute to these initiatives in significant ways successfully.
What's a day at work look like for a Police Detective?
Jodi Gill: There is no "typical day" in this field, which is why I enjoy it so much! At any point in time, criminal justice professionals are required to pivot and adapt. Coursework in criminal justice prepares individuals for changing times and circumstances, and our graduates are ready to meet those challenges!
T.Christopher Bell
ProfessorLa Sierra University
Criminal Justice Program
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Police Detectives?
T.Christopher Bell: The enduring impact is that we now know we can work remotely. We can file reports online; we can conduct investigations, Background Investigations remotely, and expand our reach nationwide. Also, our hygiene has dramatically improved.
What experience really stands out on Police Detective resumes?
T.Christopher Bell: Students who have good critical thinking skills, communication skills and those that can adapt and improvise will do well in the 21st century. Also, students who have interned, volunteered, or worked in any capacity and showed their ability to be a TEAM PLAYER would have successful careers.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Department of Criminal Justice
What general advice would you give to a Police Detective?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.
What Police Detective skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic apparently has brought uncertainty to the job market, and job opportunities, especially in some of the social sciences, are reduced. There is an old Turkish saying, "bread is in the mouth of the lion" (ekmek aslanın ağzında) that sums it up nicely. It implies that it is a struggle to make a living. Life after college is not easy. There is too much competition in the job market. Suppose graduates need to take a gap year. In that case, they need to continue to learn after graduation—an extra set of skills that can put them ahead of other applicants—learning another language can put the graduates on the top of other candidates since there are plenty of applicants just like them. Becoming fluent in a second language can bring graduates several advantages.
They can also apply for internship programs of local and federal criminal justice agencies during a gap year. The graduates can observe a criminal justice agency's working environment and the culture of a specific community. They can decide if they want to serve in the organization and the community. They should also consider international organizations' internship programs, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) or Office of Counter-Terrorism internship programs. The UNODC has an office in New York. This internship program provides a framework for students (enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a bachelor's level or equivalent degree programs) to develop their professional skills and gain practical work experience in an international environment. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship online.