Private Detectives and Investigators
Also called: Investigator, Loss Prevention Detective, Loss Prevention Officer, Private InvestigatorGather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 8 of its 14 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 5.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 40% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,810 | $37,740 to $52,610 | 530 |
| Alaska | $53,440 | $42,780 to $71,240 | 70 |
| Arizona | $61,030 | $41,450 to $79,790 | 790 |
| Arkansas | $47,750 | $37,970 to $69,990 | 370 |
| California | $61,250 | $45,380 to $82,110 | 4,190 |
| Colorado | $48,730 | $44,150 to $67,800 | 540 |
| Connecticut | $75,010 | $42,130 to $83,320 | 400 |
| Delaware | $55,710 | $47,520 to $67,800 | 110 |
| District of Columbia | $72,720 | $46,330 to $107,920 | not published |
| Florida | $50,640 | $38,120 to $64,080 | 3,660 |
| Georgia | $45,060 | $38,650 to $59,950 | 1,460 |
| Hawaii | $45,750 | $43,790 to $66,350 | 70 |
| Idaho | $47,910 | $44,530 to $65,350 | 210 |
| Illinois | $60,210 | $44,380 to $79,140 | 1,300 |
| Indiana | $41,830 | $37,990 to $53,590 | 480 |
| Iowa | $41,110 | $38,380 to $54,680 | 170 |
| Kansas | $45,260 | $36,900 to $60,610 | 280 |
| Kentucky | $47,650 | $40,220 to $56,080 | 350 |
| Louisiana | $41,950 | $36,750 to $52,930 | 860 |
| Maine | $43,830 | $39,580 to $54,070 | 210 |
| Maryland | not published | not published | 560 |
| Massachusetts | $50,240 | $42,540 to $94,660 | 280 |
| Michigan | $48,650 | $38,410 to $61,590 | 850 |
| Minnesota | $57,880 | $45,930 to $83,670 | 600 |
| Mississippi | $39,060 | $36,210 to $52,360 | 330 |
| Missouri | $41,600 | $37,480 to $51,880 | 590 |
| Montana | $47,430 | $42,640 to $55,040 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $51,750 | $42,800 to $76,000 | 160 |
| Nevada | not published | not published | 350 |
| New Hampshire | $65,370 | $46,970 to $78,300 | 280 |
| New Jersey | $54,710 | $42,890 to $91,990 | 410 |
| New Mexico | $41,600 | $36,900 to $64,280 | not published |
| New York | $59,140 | $45,970 to $80,910 | 1,300 |
| North Carolina | $52,890 | $41,000 to $74,900 | 1,710 |
| North Dakota | $44,310 | $39,840 to $50,440 | 60 |
| Ohio | $47,200 | $41,600 to $70,910 | 1,560 |
| Oklahoma | $39,680 | $37,110 to $58,430 | 370 |
| Oregon | $76,480 | $55,660 to $92,390 | 610 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,200 | $44,840 to $71,830 | 1,220 |
| Puerto Rico | $42,190 | $21,840 to $45,900 | 120 |
| Rhode Island | $54,620 | $39,830 to $79,140 | 60 |
| South Carolina | $51,530 | $40,140 to $73,430 | 620 |
| South Dakota | $44,840 | $40,860 to $48,550 | 60 |
| Tennessee | $49,360 | $38,520 to $99,170 | 940 |
| Texas | $51,810 | $36,810 to $72,660 | 3,220 |
| Utah | $57,910 | $48,460 to $61,090 | 350 |
| Vermont | $67,910 | $44,640 to $76,960 | 90 |
| Virginia | $56,160 | $41,200 to $76,680 | 1,280 |
| Washington | $64,080 | $46,580 to $84,700 | 750 |
| West Virginia | $46,410 | $37,060 to $60,740 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $41,850 | $38,580 to $58,210 | 410 |
| Wyoming | $54,310 | $42,800 to $74,240 | 40 |
Nationally: $51,220. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 8 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Write reports or case summaries to document investigations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence. | Not published |
| AI + software | Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Conduct private investigations on a paid basis. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| AI alone | Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras. | Not published |
| AI alone | Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Alert appropriate personnel to suspects' locations. | Not published |
| Not much | Investigate companies' financial standings, or locate funds stolen by embezzlers, using accounting skills. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform undercover operations, such as evaluating the performance or honesty of employees by posing as customers or employees. | Not published |
| AI + software | Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
- #22 Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities | |||
| Investigate criminal or legal matters | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Record images with photographic or audiovisual equipment | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Reconcile financial data |
Show all 10 activities
| Record information about legal matters | |||
| Present information in legal proceedings |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An analysis or summary32%
- A document or report24%
- An explanation or answer9%
- Advice or a recommendation5%
- Data or a spreadsheet2%
How they worked with Claude
60% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for private detectives and investigators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 58,072 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
- 3 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 4%
- 4 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 4%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 81,086 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 5%
- 3 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 4%
- 4 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers High +3.5% 3%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 25% high school
- 4% postsecondary certificate
- 12% some college
- 16% associate's
- 38% bachelor's
- 4% post-bachelor's certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 14% high school
- 21% some college
- 8% associate's
- 37% bachelor's
- 15% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,144 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
7 programs, such as Criminal Justice/Police Science, Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management and Protective Services Operations.
See all
- Criminal Justice/Police Science
- Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management
- Protective Services Operations
- Maritime Law Enforcement
- Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection
- Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism
- Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (INVESTIGATOR, PRIVATE). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Private Detectives and Investigators” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/33-9021.00