Protective Service
Legal Investigators
SOC 33-9021
Investigate facts for legal cases, tracking down evidence and witnesses.
The job
Median pay
$51k
$41k to $74k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+5.5% projected
Openings a year
3k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
4/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
55th pct
More exposed than 55% of occupations · modeled estimate · 60th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
50/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,190 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $61k |
| Florida | 3,660 | 0.4 | 1.6× | $51k |
| Texas | 3,220 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $52k |
| North Carolina | 1,710 | 0.3 | 1.5× | $53k |
| Ohio | 1,560 | 0.3 | 1.2× | $47k |
| Georgia | 1,460 | 0.3 | 1.3× | $45k |
| Illinois | 1,300 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $60k |
| New York | 1,300 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $59k |
| Virginia | 1,280 | 0.3 | 1.4× | $56k |
| Pennsylvania | 1,220 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $51k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 940 | 0.3 | 1.3× | $49k |
| Louisiana | 860 | 0.4 | 1.9× | $42k |
| Michigan | 850 | 0.2 | 0.8× | $49k |
| Arizona | 790 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $61k |
| Washington | 750 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $64k |
| South Carolina | 620 | 0.3 | 1.2× | $52k |
| Oregon | 610 | 0.3 | 1.4× | $76k |
| Minnesota | 600 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $58k |
| Missouri | 590 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $42k |
| Maryland | 560 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $59k~ |
| Colorado | 540 | 0.2 | 0.8× | $49k |
| Alabama | 530 | 0.3 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Indiana | 480 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $42k |
| New Jersey | 410 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $55k |
| Wisconsin | 410 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $42k |
| Connecticut | 400 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $75k |
| Arkansas | 370 | 0.3 | 1.2× | $48k |
| Oklahoma | 370 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $40k |
| Kentucky | 350 | 0.2 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Nevada | 350 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $46k~ |
| Utah | 350 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $58k |
| Mississippi | 330 | 0.3 | 1.2× | $39k |
| Washington DC | 280 | 0.4 | 1.7× | $73k~ |
| Kansas | 280 | 0.2 | 0.8× | $45k |
| Massachusetts | 280 | 0.1 | 0.3× | $50k |
| New Hampshire | 280 | 0.4 | 1.8× | $65k |
| New Mexico | 254 | 0.3 | 1.3× | $42k~ |
| Idaho | 210 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $48k |
| Maine | 210 | 0.3 | 1.4× | $44k |
| Iowa | 170 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $41k |
| West Virginia | 170 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $46k |
| Nebraska | 160 | 0.2 | 0.7× | $52k |
| Delaware | 110 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $56k |
| Vermont | 90 | 0.3 | 1.3× | $68k |
| Alaska | 70 | 0.2 | 0.9× | $53k |
| Hawaii | 70 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $46k |
| Montana | 70 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $47k |
| North Dakota | 60 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $44k |
| Rhode Island | 60 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $55k |
| South Dakota | 60 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $45k |
| Wyoming | 40 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $54k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA1,520 jobs · $62k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,070 jobs · $61k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,040 jobs · $59k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL1,030 jobs · $55k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA980 jobs · $45k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN970 jobs · $68k median
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC860 jobs · $73k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV790 jobs · $62k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Legal Investigators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.