Updated: Apr 18, 2023
There are many different fields an American Private Investigator can work in, all with different salaries. Most PIs work as employees of agencies, but American Investigators can even work for themselves. For simplicity’s sake, we will discuss the most common field a PI would work in: surveillance for insurance fraud.
So how much does a Private Investigator make? A Private Investigator salary in the USA for a new Private Investigator is typically $40 000 per year. This can go up to $80 000 for an experienced Private Investigator who is known for accomplishing objectives on a constant basis. However, a salary is not commonly used for surveillance operatives, an hourly rate is.
An hourly rate for a rookie American Private Detective is usually around $16 per hour. This would equal a salary of approximately $32 000 per year; however, PIs get paid travel time, mileage, and report writing time. This supplementary payment can increase the $32k salary to more around $40k. This supplementary payment holds true for experienced Private Investigators as well.
Being a new American PI does not necessarily mean that you need a lot of experience to obtain a salary of $80 000 per year, you just need to obtain constant positive results. This will show employers that you are valuable, even without a lot of experience. This is where Private Investigator education and training courses come in to play. PI education will help new PIs in the USA obtain positive results gaining them more revenue in a much shorter time.
Private Investigators in America can eventually get a seven-figure income after they start working for themselves. This is done when a Private Investigator manages multiple investigations, each being worked by other PIs/ employees. However, a Private Investigator can still earn high revenue without employees. If an American Private Investigator works their own files, they can make around $200 000 per year. So anyway you look at it, this career is very lucrative.
New PI $40,000 Per Year
Experienced PI $80,000 Per Year
Self-employed PI $200,000 Per Year
PI Agency $1,000,000+
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American Private Investigator licensing requirements by state:
About the Author
Peter Sandru is an Instructor & Co-Founder of NDIL with over 14 years as a Professional Private Investigator. Peter has spent more than a decade conducting investigations and security operations throughout the world, primarily for corporations, law firms, and government agencies. Peter has assisted in the creation of numerous investigative & security training programs in various capacities. Thru NDIL, Peter has helped many Americans become Private Investigators.