# Detectives and Criminal Investigators

US SOC code 33-3021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/33-3021

Also called: Detective, Criminal investigator, Police detective, Federal agent, Special agent.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **114,430** US detectives and criminal investigators, with median pay of **$93,790** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history) of **25,000** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for detectives and criminal investigators: Clearview AI facial recognition + genetic genealogy, 2017 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (+0.2%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=33-3021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **30%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.34** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.34. BLS counted **109,960** of these jobs in May 2013 and **114,430** in May 2025 (+4%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Detectives and Criminal Investigators employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1850
- Latest US employment: 114,430 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $93,790 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +0.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 41310)
  - Employment, 2020: 3,610. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [5]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 41310 Police investigators and other investigative occupations, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$121,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 41310 Police investigators and other investigative occupations, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., FBI History [1] |
| 1970 | 60,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., FBI [2] |
| 1975 | n/a | $14,000 (estimate) | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics [6] |
| 2000 | 87,090 | $48,000 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [3]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [7] |
| 2003 | 87,480 | $52,390 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 86,880 | $53,990 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 85,270 | $55,790 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 100,110 | $58,260 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 103,320 | $59,930 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 104,480 | $60,910 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 110,380 | $62,110 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 110,640 | $68,820 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 111,930 | $71,770 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 109,230 | $74,300 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 109,960 | $76,730 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 108,720 | $79,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 106,580 | $77,210 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 104,980 | $78,120 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 105,350 | $79,970 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 103,450 | $81,920 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | n/a | $83,170 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [8] |
| 2020 | 105,980 | $86,940 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 107,890 | $83,640 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 107,400 | $86,280 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 106,730 | $91,100 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 110,790 | $93,580 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 114,430 | $93,790 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (88)

### Employment series

1. [FBI History — "A Brief History of the FBI" (Bureau of Investigation founded 1908; renamed FBI 1935; early special agent numbers)](https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history), Federal Bureau of Investigation
2. [FBI — "Facts & Figures 2013" (FBI special agent headcount history; peak J. Edgar Hoover era staffing context)](https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/fbi-facts-figures-2013-2014), Federal Bureau of Investigation
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

6. [BLS CPI-U inflation calculator (1975 nominal to 2024 real); estimate anchored in documented FBI/DEA entry-level agent salaries and major-city detective pay scales. Federal GS pay schedules circa 1975 placed entry-level special agents at GS-10/GS-11 (approximately $13,000-$16,000 nominal).](https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Police and Detectives (historical wage context, circa 2000 edition; national median for detectives approximately $46,000-$50,000; wide variance between federal agents on GS pay scale and local detectives on municipal scales)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

10. [Pinkerton — "Our Story" (founding 1850 by Allan Pinkerton in Chicago; rogues gallery, undercover infiltration, railroad security)](https://pinkerton.com/our-story), Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations
11. [Wikipedia — Allan Pinkerton (founded North-Western Police Agency 1850 with Edward Rucker; first female detective Kate Warne hired; "We Never Sleep" motto)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Pinkerton), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
12. [FBI — "A Brief History of the FBI" (1924 fingerprint division consolidation, J. Edgar Hoover appointment, FBI Laboratory 1932 founding)](https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history), Federal Bureau of Investigation
13. [FBI History — FBI Laboratory official history (1932 establishment; first systematic forensic science for law enforcement)](https://www.fbi.gov/about/history), Federal Bureau of Investigation
14. [Wikipedia — Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS operational 1999; 70 million records; 27-minute criminal submission response; replaced by Next Generation Identification 2011)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Automated_Fingerprint_Identification_System), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
15. [Wikipedia — Combined DNA Index System (CODIS pilot 1990, 14 labs; DNA Identification Act 1994; NDIS live October 1998; 14M+ offender profiles, 530,000+ hits as of September 2020)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_DNA_Index_System), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
16. [Wikipedia — Cellebrite (founded Israel 1999; UFED launched 2007; market-standard mobile forensic extraction; UK teenager murder solved 2015; Rio de Janeiro homicide WhatsApp extraction 2021)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellebrite), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
17. [Wikipedia — Flock Safety (founded 2017; 5,000+ communities across 49 states; 20B+ vehicle scans/month; ALPR for investigative lead generation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flock_Safety), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
18. [Wikipedia — Clearview AI (founded 2017 by Hoan Ton-That; NYT exposé January 2020; 2M+ annual searches by 2023; 600+ agencies; multiple jurisdiction fines for privacy violations)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearview_AI), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
19. [Wikipedia — Investigative Genetic Genealogy (Golden State Killer arrest April 24, 2018; GEDmatch database; Parabon NanoLabs 200+ leads by 2021; 651 cases solved by December 2023)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_genetic_genealogy), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
20. [Wikipedia — Golden State Killer: Joseph James DeAngelo (arrested April 24, 2018; detective Paul Holes + genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter; GEDmatch family tree narrowing; covert DNA sample from car door handle)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Killer), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
21. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 33-3021 Detectives and Criminal Investigators (2024-34 projections: -0.7% employment change, baseline 117,900, projected 117,100)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=33-3021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 33-3021 Detectives and criminal investigators (2025: 120.5 thousand; 2035: 120.7 thousand; +0.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=33-3021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 33-3021 Detectives and Criminal Investigators: probability 0.34, rank 246 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 33-3021.00, human-rated β 0.3)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [Pinkerton — 'Our Story' (founded 1850; We Never Sleep motto; first female detective Kate Warne 1856; largest private law enforcement organization by 1870s)](https://pinkerton.com/our-story), Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations
26. [Wikipedia — Federal Bureau of Investigation (founded July 26, 1908 by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte; 34 initial investigators; renamed FBI 1935)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
27. [FBI — "A Brief History of the FBI" (1924 fingerprint division consolidation; Hoover appointed director; laying foundation of modern federal investigation)](https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history), Federal Bureau of Investigation
28. [Wikipedia — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (established July 1, 1972 as independent bureau within Treasury); Wikipedia — Drug Enforcement Administration (established July 1, 1973 by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1973)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Alcohol,_Tobacco,_Firearms_and_Explosives), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
29. [Wikipedia — Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS operational 1999; 70M records; 61M submissions in FY2010; 27-minute response time; replaced by NGI 2011)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Automated_Fingerprint_Identification_System), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
30. [Wikipedia — Cellebrite (UFED launched 2007; Israeli company founded 1999; market-standard mobile forensic extraction for law enforcement globally)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellebrite), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
31. [Wikipedia — Golden State Killer (Joseph James DeAngelo arrested April 24, 2018; forensic genetic genealogy via GEDmatch; detective Paul Holes + genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter; covert DNA sample from car door handle)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Killer), Wikipedia / cited primary sources
32. [Wikipedia — Clearview AI (founded 2017; NYT exposé January 2020; 2M+ annual searches by 2023; 600+ agencies; ACLU settlement 2022; multiple international fines)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearview_AI), Wikipedia / cited primary sources

### Predecessors & successors

33. [BLS OOH — Police and Detectives (local detectives typically promoted from patrol; competitive examination or commander appointment)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. [FBI — Agent hiring requirements: "three years of full-time professional work experience"; military/intelligence background common in special agent hiring](https://www.fbijobs.gov/working-at-fbi/special-agents/becoming-an-agent), Federal Bureau of Investigation

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET OnLine — Detectives and Criminal Investigators (33-3021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/33-3021.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Police and Detectives (2024-2034 projections)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [The Record — Law enforcement is using AI to synthesize evidence (2025)](https://therecord.media/law-enforcement-ai-platforms-synthesize-evidence-criminal-cases), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MIT Technology Review — How a new type of AI is helping police skirt facial recognition bans (May 2025)](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/12/1116295/how-a-new-type-of-ai-is-helping-police-skirt-facial-recognition-bans/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Veritone — AI and Crime in Criminal Justice](https://www.veritone.com/blog/ai-and-crime-in-criminal-justice/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Clearview AI — Criminal Investigations](https://www.clearview.ai/criminal-investigations), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Axon — Draft One AI-powered police report writing (launched April 2024)](https://www.axon.com/products/draft-one), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Police1 — Axon Draft One brings AI to police report writing](https://www.police1.com/police-products/police-technology/software/report-writing/axon-releases-draft-one-ai-powered-report-writing-software), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Maltego — OSINT and Cyber Investigations Platform](https://www.maltego.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [LexisNexis Risk — OSINT for Investigations](https://risk.lexisnexis.com/insights-resources/article/osint-for-investigations), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.