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Also called burglary investigator, child support investigator, CSI and crime investigator special agent.
$93,790
Median pay a year
114,430
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Detective and Criminal Investigator resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Detective and Criminal Investigator
Summary
Detective conducting investigations into suspected violations of laws, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and preparing detailed reports to support crime resolution and prevention efforts
Experience
Detective and Criminal Investigator
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Checked victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse
Obtained facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons, recording interviews using a recording device
Secured deceased bodies and obtained evidence, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival
Recorded progress of investigations, maintained informational files on suspects, and submitted reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants
Prepared reports detailing investigation findings and charges according to formalized procedures
Preserved, processed, and analyzed items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers
Notified command of situations and requested assistance while securing crime scenes
Skills
Core Skills
Examining records or other types, Interviewing people, Examining crime scenes, Observing individuals' activities, Maintaining surveillance, Preparing incident reports, Collecting evidence for legal cases, Using databases, Investigating accidents, Driver's license
Working With People
Requesting emergency personnel
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
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Checked victims for signs of lifeObtained statements from witnesses and complainantsSecured deceased body and collected evidenceRecorded investigation progress and maintained filesPrepared detailed reports of investigation findingsPreserved and analyzed items of evidence
becomes
On your resume
Checked victims for signs of life, ensuring timely response and appropriate action.
Secured deceased bodies and collected evidence, preventing tampering and preserving the integrity of the scene.
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Show what improved in response times or outcomes.
The line
Checked victims for signs of life, leading to faster medical assistance for critical cases
Show what improved in response times or outcomes.
Pick one that fits
Faster medical assistance for critical casesReduced time to identify victimsImproved overall case resolution rates
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Mention if you were responsible for any specific evidence handling.
The line
Secured deceased bodies and collected evidence, preventing tampering and preserving the integrity of the scene.
Mention if you were responsible for any specific evidence handling.
Pick one that fits
Handled evidence for high-profile casesLed evidence collection for multiple investigationsTrained others on evidence preservation
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What it is made of
Skills for a Detective and Criminal Investigator resume
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What are you good at?
Examining records or other types
Interviewing people
Examining crime scenes
Observing individuals' activities
Maintaining surveillance
Preparing incident reports
Requesting emergency personnel
Collecting evidence for legal cases
Using databases
Investigating accidents
Checking physical condition
Analyzing crime scene evidence
The work itself
What a Detective and Criminal Investigator does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
What it pays
How much does a Detective and Criminal Investigator make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$69,330
Median
$93,790
75th percentile
$120,520
About 114,430 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$92,110
$114,940
$168,790
AL
$49,860
$66,290
$92,610
AR
$46,300
$54,500
$66,820
AZ
$77,730
$102,340
$111,360
CA
$99,270
$124,840
$136,020
CO
$86,290
$105,480
$115,130
CT
$88,390
$95,240
$103,800
DC
$114,230
$160,760
$170,810
DE
$71,670
$122,050
$149,990
FL
$60,790
$77,060
$120,180
GA
$55,310
$65,430
$79,220
HI
$106,870
$113,940
$140,750
IA
$67,370
$79,560
$90,380
ID
$60,100
$72,520
$100,420
IL
$69,590
$91,190
$114,640
IN
$56,320
$70,340
$82,740
KS
$57,530
$75,740
$91,560
KY
$61,330
$71,670
$96,120
LA
$46,320
$60,450
$78,700
MA
$92,020
$110,150
$146,230
MD
$93,230
$126,730
$166,230
ME
$75,210
$88,310
$109,300
MI
$80,140
$90,650
$120,560
MN
$69,580
$80,000
$100,090
MO
$56,870
$75,650
$93,910
MS
$49,270
$58,640
$78,230
MT
$71,160
$92,410
$109,300
NC
$57,040
$63,280
$80,330
ND
$62,200
$82,290
$106,330
NE
$79,510
$100,530
$123,930
NH
$80,770
$89,290
$105,870
NJ
$91,360
$116,300
$134,000
NM
$59,160
$86,840
$109,300
NV
$77,360
$94,470
$129,220
NY
$77,470
$101,240
$124,860
OH
$64,480
$79,300
$105,690
OK
$60,300
$80,430
$102,250
OR
$94,700
$107,450
$127,860
PA
$79,190
$97,580
$116,960
PR
$44,800
$70,760
$115,210
RI
$77,760
$88,450
$99,100
SC
$55,490
$62,760
$77,200
SD
$63,110
$77,730
$110,880
TN
$60,730
$77,090
$107,810
TX
$64,660
$90,510
$109,300
UT
$61,240
$78,920
$115,210
VA
$79,770
$112,760
$160,760
VT
$84,430
$106,330
$111,530
WA
$96,540
$115,790
$126,170
WI
$78,700
$91,040
$97,120
WV
$56,770
$92,410
$149,280
WY
$71,930
$81,880
$104,080
Other names
Other names for this job
burglary investigator, child support investigator, CSI, crime investigator special agent, crime scene investigator, criminal investigator, criminal investigator special agent, cybercrimes investigator, fbi investigator, federal bureau of investigation investigator, financial crimes investigator, fraud investigator.
More names for this work
fugitive investigator, gang investigator, homicide investigator, internal affairs investigator, investigator, law enforcement investigator, missing persons investigator, narcotics investigator, police investigator, PI, private investigator, siu investigator, special crimes investigator, special investigation unit investigator, special investigator, vice investigator, air marshal, central intelligence agency agent, child support agent, child support officer, cia agent, city detective, counter intelligence agent, crime analyst, criminal analyst, criminal investigations agent, criminal investigative agent, criminal profiler, criminalist, cyber special agent, dea agent, deputy united states marshal, deputy us marshal, detective, drug enforcement administration agent, enforcement agent, fbi field agent, fbi profiler, fbi sharpshooter, fbi special agent, federal air marshal, federal bureau of investigation field agent, federal bureau of investigation profiler, federal bureau of investigation sharpshooter, federal bureau of investigation special agent, financial crimes analyst, fugitive detective, homicide detective.
If you served
Military jobs this work counts as
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
401 Investigator
311A CID Special Agent
333021 Criminal Investigator
OAP12 Marine Investigations
P02A Military Investigator
001492 Afloat Security Specialist
5819 Military Police Investigator
7S011 Special Investigations Helper
P12A Military Criminal Investigator
7S071 Special Investigations Craftsman
5821 Criminal Investigator (CID) Agent
7S031 Special Investigations Journeyman
and 3 more service codes map here
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This page is about the occupation Detectives and Criminal Investigators. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.