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Senior investigator salary

Average senior investigator salary

$61,240

$29.44 hourly rate

Entry-level senior investigator salary
$35,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Senior Investigator Salary

The average salary for a Senior Investigator is approximately $61,240 per year or about $29 per hour. This compensation can vary significantly based on several factors.

Factors Influencing Salary

  • Experience: Typically, those with more years in the field can command higher salaries.
  • Location: Certain states offer higher wages due to cost of living or demand for skilled professionals.
  • Industry: Senior Investigators working in specialized sectors such as healthcare or government may see increased pay.

Where Can Senior Investigators Earn More?

States like California and New York often provide some of the highest salaries for Senior Investigators. Additionally, exploring opportunities in high-demand industries can enhance earning potential.

For those interested in advancing within this career path, understanding the various elements that influence salary can lead to better job choices and career advancement.

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Where can a Senior Investigator earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
113k
93k
73k
53k
33k
13k
Columbus, OH$93,941
Little Rock, AR$42,729
Compare salary by company
Vs
147k
127k
107k
87k
67k
47k
DLA Piper$129,762
Highmark$76,887

Senior investigator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a senior investigator typically falls between $61,240 and $84,827.
zippia
$61,240yearly
glassdoor[1]
$84,827yearly
comparably[2]
$76,747yearly
Salary.com[3]
$77,922yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$83,000yearly

Average senior investigator salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior investigators are Maryland, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average senior investigator salary states are Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior investigators

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Maryland$93,785$45.09
2Oregon$84,528$40.64
3Washington$91,043$43.77
4Montana$79,625$38.28
5District of Columbia$80,675$38.79
6California$80,257$38.59
7Alaska$72,564$34.89
8Nevada$75,579$36.34
9Pennsylvania$66,570$32.00
10New York$77,939$37.47
11Michigan$66,414$31.93
12Massachusetts$77,158$37.10
13Delaware$68,960$33.15
14Virginia$68,460$32.91
15Connecticut$71,029$34.15
16Ohio$61,513$29.57
17Rhode Island$70,322$33.81
18Utah$65,132$31.31
19New Jersey$72,489$34.85
20West Virginia$68,547$32.96
21Hawaii$68,724$33.04
22Maine$69,218$33.28
23New Hampshire$69,366$33.35
24Wisconsin$60,844$29.25
25Colorado$63,838$30.69
26South Dakota$64,640$31.08
27Arizona$60,588$29.13
28New Mexico$60,698$29.18
29Illinois$61,372$29.51
30Nebraska$50,674$24.36
31Vermont$63,716$30.63
32Missouri$50,346$24.20
33Kentucky$45,490$21.87
34Idaho$55,689$26.77
35Oklahoma$47,108$22.65
36North Dakota$57,978$27.87
37Texas$51,908$24.96
38Kansas$53,348$25.65
39Iowa$53,098$25.53
40Minnesota$52,690$25.33
41Wyoming$51,276$24.65
42Arkansas$43,075$20.71
43Indiana$43,487$20.91
44Louisiana$42,700$20.53
45Georgia$41,064$19.74
46Tennessee$45,322$21.79
47Alabama$42,646$20.50
48Mississippi$41,995$20.19
49Florida$35,293$16.97
50North Carolina$45,856$22.05
51South Carolina$34,975$16.81

Highest paying cities for senior investigators

The highest-paying cities for senior investigators are Frederick, MD, Olympia, WA, and San Francisco, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Frederick, MD$93,941$45.16
2Olympia, WA$92,489$44.47
3San Francisco, CA$91,127$43.81
4Portland, OR$83,885$40.33
5Washington, DC$80,762$38.83
6New York, NY$77,946$37.47
7Boston, MA$77,117$37.08
8Jersey City, NJ$72,656$34.93
9Reston, VA$71,422$34.34
10Hartford, CT$71,084$34.17
11Philadelphia, PA$66,852$32.14
12Salt Lake City, UT$64,932$31.22
13Denver, CO$63,707$30.63
14Chicago, IL$62,053$29.83
15Phoenix, AZ$61,037$29.34
16Saint Paul, MN$52,878$25.42
17Dallas, TX$51,818$24.91
18Saint Louis, MO$50,456$24.26
19Charlotte, NC$43,752$21.03
20Little Rock, AR$42,729$20.54

Senior investigator salary details

A senior investigator's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $105,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior investigator salary graph
Average senior investigator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior investigator's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$105,000$8,750$50
75th Percentile$81,000$6,750$39
Average$61,240$5,103$29
25th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22
10th Percentile$35,000$2,917$17

Highest paying senior investigator jobs

The highest paying types of senior investigators are asset protection manager, intelligence analyst, and investigator.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Officer$52,506$4,376$25.24114,267
Deputy$53,682$4,473$25.8156,150
Police Officer$52,638$4,386$25.31116,287
Asset Protection Manager$83,821$6,985$40.3062,727
Law Enforcement Officer$39,219$3,268$18.86105,817
Public Safety Officer$36,596$3,050$17.59122,048

Top companies hiring senior investigators now:

  1. Standard Chartered jobs (11)
  2. Merck jobs (11)
  3. BNY Mellon jobs (10)
  4. AIG jobs (18)
  5. CVS Health jobs (13)

Which companies pay senior investigators the most?

Senior investigator salaries at DLA Piper and Novartis are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior investigator salary at companies like Mintz and Intuit are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1DLA Piper$129,762$62.39
2Novartis$117,180$56.34
3Mintz$116,869$56.19
4Intuit$108,284$52.06
5Standard Chartered$104,821$50.39
6Sutter Health$98,820$47.51
7LendingClub$90,113$43.32
8AIG$88,529$42.56
9CVS Health$88,240$42.42
10General Electric$85,427$41.07
11Edward Jones$84,737$40.74
12The Travelers Companies$84,235$40.50
13Accenture$82,330$39.58
14Roivant Sciences$81,281$39.08
15Medtronic$80,537$38.72
16Aetna$79,966$38.45
17National Institutes of Health$78,811$37.89
18Teva Pharmaceuticals$77,890$37.45
19Ericsson$76,951$37.00
20Highmark$76,887$36.96

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$63,000$61,000$59,000$57,000$55,000$53,000
MaleFemale

Senior Investigator salary by industry

The average senior investigator salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior investigator salary in the finance industry is $74,532, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior investigator salary in the finance industry is $68,598.
  • Senior investigators in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $56,817, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior investigators

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$74,532$35.83
2Health Care$68,598$32.98
3Insurance$62,607$30.10
4Government$58,811$28.27
5Manufacturing$56,817$27.32

High paying senior investigator jobs

Senior investigator salary trends

The average senior investigator salary has risen by $10,686 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior investigator earned $50,554 annually, but today, they earn $61,240 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior investigators over the last decade.

Compare senior investigator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior investigator salary over time

Compare senior investigator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior investigator salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$61,200$29.44+4.3%
2025$58,600$28.17+1.5%
2024$57,700$27.74+2.4%
2023$56,300$27.08+2.3%
2022$55,000$26.46+1.2%

Recently added senior investigator salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
F5 NetworksSenior Security Threat Intelligence InvestigatorSeattle, WA06/30/2025$131,581
JeppesenSenior Global Trade InvestigatorArlington, VA06/30/2025$117,300
John HancockGlobal Investigative & Forensic Services Senior InvestigatorNew York, NY06/30/2025$90,225
State of WashingtonSenior Investigator/Analyst-SR. Special Agent, Medicaid Fraud Control DivisionOlympia, WA06/30/2025$78,468
ParagoncommunityInvestigator SeniorLos Angeles, CA06/29/2025$78,400
Contact Government Services, LLCSenior Financial InvestigatorBoone, NC06/29/2025$74,156
Contact Government Services, LLCSenior Financial InvestigatorFayetteville, AR06/29/2025$74,156
Contact Government Services, LLCSenior Financial InvestigatorMilwaukee, WI06/29/2025$74,156
Contact Government Services, LLCSenior Financial InvestigatorTrenton, NJ06/29/2025$74,156
The Boeing CompanySenior Global Trade InvestigatorArlington, VA06/28/2025$117,300

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