SOC 33-3021 · Protective Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Detectives and Criminal Investigators make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $78,970. The 10th percentile is $48,840 and the 90th percentile is $114,790. Employment is 1,710.

Median annual wage

$78,970

10th percentile
$48,840
25th percentile
$58,790
Median
$78,970
75th percentile
$99,220
90th percentile
$114,790
Mean
$81,950

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A scientist working at a laboratory bench
A scientist in a laboratory. Photograph by Mark Shwartz, Stanford ENERGY. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5

Percentile spread

For Detectives and Criminal Investigators, the published 10th percentile is $48,840 and the 90th percentile is $114,790. The difference is $65,950, which is 83.5% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $58,790 to the 75th at $99,220, covers $40,430.

The mean annual wage is $81,950, which sits above the median of $78,970. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX median is 15.8% lower than the national median of $93,790 for Detectives and Criminal Investigators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $80,527, which is 14.1% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 12.7% lower than the Texas median of $90,510.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is 98.066, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $78,970 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $80,527 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

11 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Detectives and Criminal Investigators. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ranks 7th of 12 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Killeen-Temple, TX is 66 miles away, with a median of $70,590 and employment of 130. That median is 10.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $77,459, against $80,527 here.
  • College Station-Bryan, TX is 77 miles away, with a median of $76,320 and employment of 40. That median is 3.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $83,913, against $80,527 here.
  • San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX is 80 miles away, with a median of $83,830 and employment of 1,670. That median is 6.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $88,507, against $80,527 here.

Employment share

Detectives and Criminal Investigators accounts for 0.13% of wage-and-salary employment in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (1,710 of 1,293,690). Nationally the occupation is 0.07% of employment (114,430 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.80 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · Detectives and Criminal Investigators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Detectives and Criminal Investigators make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $78,970. The 10th percentile is $48,840 and the 90th percentile is $114,790. Employment is 1,710.

How does that compare with the national median for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

The local median is 15.8% lower than the national median of $93,790.

What is Detectives and Criminal Investigators pay in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is 98.066, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $78,970 is $80,527. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX compare with nearby metros for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

Killeen-Temple, TX is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 66 miles away, at $70,590. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ranks 7th of 12 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.