Private Detectives and Investigators · SOC 33-9021
Private Detectives and Investigators Salary in the Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area
Figures describe the Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area, a BLS-defined region outside metropolitan areas — not a single city or town.
Private Detectives and Investigators in the Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area earned a median of $41,200 per year ($19.81 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $34,460 at the 10th percentile to $62,180 at the 90th. BLS estimates 40 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Private Detectives and Investigators in the Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area earn more than $41,200 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $36,610 and $47,850.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $34,460 | $36,610 | $41,200 | $47,850 | $62,180 |
| Hourly | $16.57 | $17.60 | $19.81 | $23.00 | $29.90 |
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
- Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area$41,200 median for Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area; middle half earns $36,610 to $47,850
- Virginiastate$56,160 median for Virginia; middle half earns $41,200 to $76,680
- 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 −27% vs Virginia overall and −20% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Other metro areas in Virginia
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.
- Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan areathis page$41,200 median for Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area; middle half earns $36,610 to $47,850
- $52,430 median for Richmond metro area; middle half earns $39,300 to $78,710
- $45,990 median for Virginia Beach metro area; middle half earns $36,050 to $53,440
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 Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area
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.