Detectives and Criminal Investigators vs Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers: Salary, Job Outlook & Education | Career Matchup
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Detectives and Criminal Investigators vs Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Compare the evidence side by side. Career Matchup shows the source data without declaring an overall winner.

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01 · Compensation

Pay and employment

Median annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$93,790
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$76,210
81% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

Mean annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$99,430
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$79,200
80% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

Hourly median wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$45.09
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$36.64
81% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

Hourly mean wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$47.80
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$38.08
80% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

10th percentile annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$55,390
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$47,510
86% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

25th percentile annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$69,330
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$59,290
86% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

75th percentile annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$120,520
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$97,600
81% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

90th percentile annual wage

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators$160,540
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$115,120
72% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

National employment

2025

Detectives and Criminal Investigators114,430
17% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers670,520
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 33-3051

02 · Outlook

Employment outlook

Bars compare the same metric across the two careers. They are not an overall score.

Projected employment change

2025-2035

Detectives and Criminal Investigators0.2%
6% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.5%
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3051

Average annual openings

2025-2035

Detectives and Criminal Investigators7.8k
15% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers51.5k
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3051

03 · Preparation

Education and training

Typical entry-level education

2025-2035

Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersHigh school diploma or equivalent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3051

Related work experience

2025-2035

Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsLess than 5 years

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3051

On-the-job training

2025-2035

Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsModerate-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3021

Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersModerate-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 33-3051

04 · Context and fit

Work context

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Contact with others

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4.9 raw · CX scale
98% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers4.6 raw · CX scale
89% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Time pressure

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4 raw · CX scale
75% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.9 raw · CX scale
72% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Spend time standing

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.1 raw · CX scale
53% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers2.9 raw · CX scale
48% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Exposed to contaminants

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.4 raw · CX scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers4 raw · CX scale
74% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Exposed to disease or infections

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.3 raw · CX scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.5 raw · CX scale
63% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Exposed to hazardous equipment

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.4 raw · CX scale
61% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.7 raw · CX scale
68% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

04 · Context and fit

Skills

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Active listening

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4.5 raw · LV scale
64% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Critical thinking

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Reading comprehension

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Speaking

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Writing

Detectives and Criminal Investigators4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.8 raw · LV scale
54% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Active learning

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.6 raw · LV scale
52% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.3 raw · LV scale
46% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Monitoring

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.5 raw · LV scale
50% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3.6 raw · LV scale
52% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Learning strategies

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3 raw · LV scale
43% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3 raw · LV scale
43% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

04 · Context and fit

Work styles

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Dependability

Detectives and Criminal Investigators2.9 raw · WI scale
99% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers2.9 raw · WI scale
99% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Attention to detail

Detectives and Criminal Investigators2.7 raw · WI scale
95% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers2.2 raw · WI scale
86% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Stress tolerance

Detectives and Criminal Investigators3 raw · WI scale
100% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers3 raw · WI scale
100% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Cooperation

Detectives and Criminal Investigators1.1 raw · WI scale
68% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3021.00

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers1.7 raw · WI scale
78% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 33-3051.00

Explore your next step

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

  • Use the career comparison checklist

Sources

Each side retains the source release, reference period, occupation code, and file hash used for the comparison.

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 33-3021 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 33-3021 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 33-3021.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 33-3051 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 33-3051 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 33-3051.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Read the data in context

Career Matchup does not declare an overall winner. National estimates can hide local variation, and O*NET relative values describe the named construct rather than whether a career is better.

Career Matchup is an independent comparison tool.

Data sourcesData availabilityAboutFree guideContactPrivacyTermsData: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET® Database.