Private Detectives and Investigators · SOC 33-9021
Private Detectives and Investigators Salary in the Jackson Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Jackson, MS metro area
Figures describe the Jackson, MS metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Jackson city limits.
Private Detectives and Investigators in the Jackson, MS metro area earned a median of $37,920 per year ($18.23 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $32,740 at the 10th percentile to $76,420 at the 90th. BLS estimates 70 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Private Detectives and Investigators in the Jackson metro area earn more than $37,920 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $36,100 and $46,410.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $32,740 | $36,100 | $37,920 | $46,410 | $76,420 |
| Hourly | $15.74 | $17.36 | $18.23 | $22.31 | $36.74 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Jackson metro areathis metro area$37,920 median for Jackson metro area; middle half earns $36,100 to $46,410
- Mississippistate (MS)$39,060 median for Mississippi; middle half earns $36,210 to $52,360
- United Statesnational$51,220 median for United States; middle half earns $40,700 to $73,990
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −3% vs Mississippi overall and −26% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Jackson metro area has the 136th-highest published median for this occupation among the 143 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Mississippi
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for private detectives and investigators, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Jackson metro areathis page$37,920 median for Jackson metro area; middle half earns $36,100 to $46,410
- $41,690 median for Gulfport metro area; middle half earns $36,810 to $57,110
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for private detectives and investigatorss · Highest-paying occupations in Jackson Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.