BLS metro-level wage data places Private Detectives and Investigators pay in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA at a median of $51,130 per year ($24.58/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $51,220, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom pays same as, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 350 private detectives and investigatorss are employed across the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA in SOC 33-9021.

The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom pay distribution spans from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $90,230 at the 90th — a 2.6× 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 $43,420 and the 75th at $66,350, so half of Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom-based private detectives and 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, 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.