BLS metro-level wage data places Detectives and Criminal Investigators pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at a median of $126,700 per year ($60.91/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $93,790, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays +35% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 690 detectives and criminal investigatorss are employed across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont MSA in SOC 33-3021.

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pay distribution spans from $96,030 at the 10th percentile to $195,190 at the 90th — a 2.0× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $104,100 and the 75th at $164,670, so half of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont-based detectives and criminal investigatorss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.