SOC 33-3021 · Protective Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Detectives and Criminal Investigators make in St. Louis, MO-IL?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in St. Louis, MO-IL is $80,930. The 10th percentile is $54,080 and the 90th percentile is $157,580. Employment is 660.

Median annual wage

$80,930

10th percentile
$54,080
25th percentile
$64,390
Median
$80,930
75th percentile
$116,060
90th percentile
$157,580
Mean
$93,760

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

An electrician connecting a generator to a home electrical panel
An electrician at a home electrical panel. Photograph by editor B. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Detectives and Criminal Investigators, the published 10th percentile is $54,080 and the 90th percentile is $157,580. The difference is $103,500, which is 127.9% 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 $64,390 to the 75th at $116,060, covers $51,670.

The mean annual wage is $93,760, which sits above the median of $80,930. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The St. Louis, MO-IL median is 13.7% lower than the national median of $93,790 for Detectives and Criminal Investigators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $85,111, which is 9.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 7% higher than the Missouri median of $75,650.

St. Louis, MO-IL covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Missouri, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for St. Louis, MO-IL is 95.088, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $80,930 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $85,111 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

9 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Detectives and Criminal Investigators. St. Louis, MO-IL ranks 2nd of 10 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).).

  • Springfield, IL is 83 miles away, with a median of $88,790 and employment of 120. That median is 9.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $95,736, against $85,111 here.
  • Jefferson City, MO is 94 miles away, with a median of $56,870 and employment of 90. That median is 29.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $64,643, against $85,111 here.
  • Columbia, MO is 122 miles away, with a median of $61,170 and employment of 40. That median is 24.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $68,394, against $85,111 here.

Employment share

Detectives and Criminal Investigators accounts for 0.05% of wage-and-salary employment in St. Louis, MO-IL (660 of 1,341,320). Nationally the occupation is 0.07% of employment (114,430 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.67 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 St. Louis, MO-IL · 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in St. Louis, MO-IL is $80,930. The 10th percentile is $54,080 and the 90th percentile is $157,580. Employment is 660.

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

The local median is 13.7% lower than the national median of $93,790.

What is Detectives and Criminal Investigators pay in St. Louis, MO-IL after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for St. Louis, MO-IL is 95.088, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $80,930 is $85,111. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does St. Louis, MO-IL compare with nearby metros for Detectives and Criminal Investigators?

Springfield, IL is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 83 miles away, at $88,790. St. Louis, MO-IL ranks 2nd of 10 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.