SOC 33-3021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Detectives and Criminal Investigators — Asheville
Asheville, NC · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Asheville, NC is $62,460 per year, substantially below the national median of $93,790 — a gap of 33.4%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -0.7%
- Openings per year
- 7,800
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Asheville, NC.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Asheville, NC is $62,460 per year, substantially below the national median of $93,790 — a gap of 33.4%. Pay ranges from under $50,940 at the tenth percentile to more than $136,120 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $62,120 to $73,030.
The area has 140 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.8 of every thousand jobs. Jacksonville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $92,410. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 152nd of 425 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $50,940 | −45.7% |
| 25th | $62,120 | −33.8% |
| Median (50th) | $62,460 | −33.4% |
| 75th | $73,030 | −22.1% |
| 90th | $136,120 | +45.1% |
| Mean | $74,700 | −20.4% |
Other metro areas in North Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | $92,410 | 100 | |
| 2 | Raleigh | $77,210 | 630 | |
| 3 | Charlotte | $71,460 | 600 | |
| 4 | Durham | $68,790 | 160 | |
| 5 | Rocky Mount | $67,970 | 30 | |
| 6 | Fayetteville | $64,590 | 170 | |
| 7 | Burlington | $63,780 | 50 | |
| 8 | Wilmington | $62,580 | 210 | |
| 9 | Winston-Salem | $62,260 | 140 | |
| 10 | Greenville | $61,220 | 40 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Asheville run 3.5% below the national average, so the median of $62,460 goes as far as $64,725 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 31.0% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$62,460as reported by BLSLocal price level
96.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$64,725US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $62,460 a year, 33.4% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $50,940 to $136,120 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 140 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Jacksonville, at $92,410.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Asheville, NC?
The median annual wage is $62,460, or $30.03 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $93,790, so pay in Asheville, NC is 33.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Asheville, NC earns more than $136,120 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $50,940 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Jacksonville, at $92,410 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 140 jobs in this occupation in Asheville, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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