Private Detectives and Investigators build complex problem solving, social perceptiveness and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Detectives and Criminal Investigators (88%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | 88% | $93,790 | +83% | None |
| 2 | Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts | 85% | $81,100Pay for the broader BLS group “Financial Specialists, All Other” | Not compared | Bachelor's degree |
| 3 | Compliance Officers | 85% | $80,730 | +58% | Bachelor's degree |
| 4 | Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 84% | $62,890 | +23% | None |
| 5 | Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 83% | $55,570 | +8% | None |
| 6 | Intelligence Analysts | 83% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 83% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 83% | $54,210 | +6% | None |
| 9 | Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 80% | $80,730Pay for the broader BLS group “Compliance Officers” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | 80% | $78,000 | +52% | Bachelor's degree |
Compared with Private Detectives and Investigators, median $51,220. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as private detectives and investigators (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
88% skill match · $93,790 · +83% pay
Instructing · Coordination · Social Perceptiveness
85% skill match · $81,100 (broader BLS group)
Instructing · Coordination · Management of Personnel Resources
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
85% skill match · $80,730 · +58% pay
Instructing · Management of Personnel Resources · Persuasion
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Detectives and Criminal Investigators (88% skill match, median $93,790), Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts (85% skill match, median $81,100) and Compliance Officers (85% skill match, median $80,730), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 12 pay more than private detectives and investigators at the median. The biggest increases: Management Analysts (+99%, $101,860), Detectives and Criminal Investigators (+83%, $93,790) and Compliance Officers (+58%, $80,730).
19 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.