Job title · Wisconsin

Detective / Criminal Investigator in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management lists 2 job classes for this work in the Wisconsin state pay plan: Special Agent, Special Agent-Senior.

$58,739 – $135,054
state pay plan range, a year
2
classes in the state plan
$91,040
median pay in WI, all employers
1,640
workers in WI (SOC 33-3021)

Sources: Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management, Wisconsin Alphabetical Listing of Classifications and 2025-2027 Compensation Plan Pay Schedules; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Wisconsin state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective June 28, 2026. These are the ranges Wisconsin sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Special Agent
Class 67561
Grade 07-03
$28.24 – $64.93 a hour
$58,739 – $135,054 a year
Special Agent-Senior
Class 67562
Grade 07-03
$28.24 – $64.93 a hour
$58,739 – $135,054 a year

Schedule: Pay Schedule 07: Fiscal & Staff Services. 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: Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management, Wisconsin Alphabetical Listing of Classifications and 2025-2027 Compensation Plan Pay Schedules. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in Wisconsin, all employers Sourced

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

MeasureWI
Workers1,640
10th percentile$70,060
Median$91,040
90th percentile$103,130
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 Wisconsin

366 police departments in Wisconsin.

72 sheriff's offices in Wisconsin.

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

More about this job

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

Detective / Criminal Investigator in other states