The median annual wage for Private Detectives and Investigators in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $75,400 (May 2024 BLS OES). The mean (average) is $79,920.
Pay spans roughly $47,650 at the 10th percentile to $117,670 at the 90th, so experience and specialisation move this figure a lot. At the median that is about $36.25 per hour. An estimated 540 people work as private detectives and investigators in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
| Median (annual) | $75,400 |
| Mean (annual) | $79,920 |
| Median (hourly) | $36.25 |
| 10th percentile | $47,650 |
| 90th percentile | $117,670 |
| Employment | 540 |
Updated 2026-07-23.
Source: BLS OES May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Checked 2026-07-23.