What starting salary could I expect being a PI?
Private investigation agencies charge from $40 to $100 per hour for their time. The average across the country is about $50 to $55 per hour. Those who charge less than $40 per hour usually live in very non-affluent areas. Those who charge more than $55 to $65 an hour usually either have a good specialty and/or are located in an affluent part of the country. A trainee starting out in an investigation agency might be paid little more than minimum wage but could learn enough in a short time to increase his or her value substantially. Private Investigation Agency with a good client base would probably pay salaried investigators at least $25,000 and as much as $75,000 or more a year. Many agencies pay field investigators based on the amount of billable hours they produce for the agency. An average percentage for such an arrangement is 40%. If the agency charges $60 per hour and pays the investigator 40%, that would be $24 per hour for billed time. If the investigator has no personal life and can log 10 hours a day, over $5000 a month could be earned.