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Job title · Ohio

Detective / Criminal Investigator in Ohio

Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation lists 2 job classes for this work in the Ohio state pay plan: Criminal Investigator 1–2.

$55,203 – $79,061
state pay plan range, a year
2
classes in the state plan
$79,300
median pay in OH, all employers
2,140
workers in OH (SOC 33-3021)

Sources: Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation, Ohio State Classification Plan — Pay Range Booklet and Pay Range Schedules (rates effective July 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Ohio state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective July 1, 2026. These are the ranges Ohio sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Criminal Investigator 1
Class 26121
Grade 30
$26.54 – $34.53 a hour
$55,203 – $71,822 a year
7 steps
  • Step 1: $26.54 a hour
  • Step 2: $27.56 a hour
  • Step 3: $28.76 a hour
  • Step 4: $30.10 a hour
  • Step 5: $31.47 a hour
  • Step 6: $32.84 a hour
  • Step 7: $34.53 a hour
Criminal Investigator 2
Class 26122
Grade 31
$28.76 – $38.01 a hour
$59,821 – $79,061 a year
7 steps
  • Step 1: $28.76 a hour
  • Step 2: $30.10 a hour
  • Step 3: $31.47 a hour
  • Step 4: $32.84 a hour
  • Step 5: $34.53 a hour
  • Step 6: $36.20 a hour
  • Step 7: $38.01 a hour

Schedule: OCSEA Pay Range Schedule (Rates Effective July 2026). Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions (hourly × 2,080). Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation, Ohio State Classification Plan — Pay Range Booklet and Pay Range Schedules (rates effective July 2026). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in Ohio, all employers Sourced

Detectives and Criminal Investigators (SOC 33-3021) in Ohio, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureOH
Workers2,140
10th percentile$56,840
Median$79,300
90th percentile$151,200
National median, government employers$93,790

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Employers in Ohio

701 police departments in Ohio.

88 sheriff's offices in Ohio.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — law-enforcement agencies by state (API). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Free practice tests for Ohio

Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Detective / Criminal Investigator page.

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