SalaryExplorer

SOC 33-3021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Detectives and Criminal Investigators — Daphne

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL · 7 metro areas compared

$50,700 /year
$24.38per hour
50jobs in area
−45.9%vs US median

At $50,700, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Detectives and Criminal Investigators, 45.9% beneath the national figure of $93,790.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $93,790MEDIAN$50,70075TH$61,80090TH$88,420

How pay has moved

$74,013$46,0382019202020212022202320242025$50,700
$59,800 in 2019 to $50,700 in 2025, -15.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL.

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

At $50,700, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Detectives and Criminal Investigators, 45.9% beneath the national figure of $93,790. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $50,700 and $61,800. The lowest tenth earn under $48,380, while the highest tenth earn more than $88,420.

Employment stands at 50, or 0.6 jobs per thousand held locally. Mobile leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $98,310. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 119th of 269 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$48,380−48.4%
25th$50,700−45.9%
Median (50th)$50,700−45.9%
75th$61,800−34.1%
90th$88,420−5.7%
Mean$60,270−35.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Alabama

Median annual wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Mobile$98,310100
2Huntsville$91,230240
3Birmingham$79,560230
4Auburn$72,42040
5Montgomery$70,710220
6Tuscaloosa$64,14040
7Anniston$61,14030

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Daphne run 5.3% below the national average, so the median of $50,700 goes as far as $53,537 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 42.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$50,700as reported by BLS

Local price level

94.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$53,537US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $50,700 a year, 45.9% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $48,380 to $88,420 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 50 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Mobile, at $98,310.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Detectives and Criminal Investigators in Daphne, AL?

The median annual wage is $50,700, or $24.38 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 Daphne, AL is 45.9% 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 Daphne, AL earns more than $88,420 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $48,380 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 Mobile, at $98,310 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 50 jobs in this occupation in Daphne, AL. 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.