How much do private investigators earn? What starting salary could I expect?
A. For a direct answer, go to the next paragraph. Some private investigators actually pay to be in the private investigation business. This sounds crazy but there are some PIs, frequently former law enforcement officers who are licensed and are “sort of” in the business. Their income from private investigation work is actually a negative. Someone whose spouse has a good paying job to supplement his or her retirement pay is able to work as a private investigator and earn less than their cost of doing business. They may not know they are losing money if they have not learned the fine points of business management. This situation is good for the users of private investigation services because it keeps the hourly rate professional private investigators can charge artificially low. Obviously, it is not good news for someone wanting to become a private investigator and earn a decent income. If you are looking for a way to make big money, there are probably many ways better than becoming a pr
