Forbes recently published an article, “Here’s How Much Money Private Investigators Make In Every State.” I thought I would take a look at the current wages across the Private Investigation and Security “Guarding” spectrum.

Understand, the source of this data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They calculated annual wages by multiplying the hourly means wage by a “year-round, full-time” hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is no hourly wage published, the annual salary has is directly calculated from the reported survey data.

As an advocate of “it takes more than money to motivate a person,” I am not shocked by these statistics. But we do need to improve the compensation for these occupations. Without the top-earners in the industry, the lowest earners are at or just above poverty levels in some cases.

During recent virtual conversations (virtual coffee with Bill Peeler) with practitioners in the investigative and security industry, we highlighted the potential for “flushing the industry”; as a result, of the Coronavirus impacts on business. You know the individuals and “alleged entities” who are often unlicensed and that tend to degrade the industry by subpar services at discounted rates. But we need to dig deeper to understand the Cause and Effect on the industry.

I find myself utilizing this phrase more often these days, “you only know what you know.” Here it begins. Consumers often are not knowledgeable of what professional services should entail; add to this fact focus on lower-cost services skews consumers’ expectations. Poor customer experiences reduce their confidence for the future engagement of services. The customer’s low trust or expected quality of service can negatively affect even the best providers of service. 

When looking at individual practitioners in the security and investigation industry, much of the same is true. The agency feels subject to reducing expectations of their staff as they did not advocate appropriate compensation for their personnel needs. It becomes a negative spiral that damages the end service for the client.

As previously stated, you only know what you know, making it imperative we improve both trusts with consumers while creating a more astute buyer of our services. I example this during a recent negotiation with a business client. Our customer representative requested we establish price points for full-time ongoing services, which means around the clock coverage of their principal protectees. During the negotiation, we attempted to discover the priorities of service from the customer and appropriate compensation for the assigned agents to their company. Based on the principals’ calendar needs, we suggested benefits that provided additional payment for their assignees while they are away from family during the holidays. The mid-level manager was shocked at our proposal, to the point the manager thought we lost our minds! Why did this happen? Let’s look at the background of the manager – less than five years working in the private sector, salaried paid, with previous military experience with some formal education. None of this experience translated to understanding the need for appropriate considerations in the private sector. He did not get paid holidays as he is a salaried employee himself, and he certainly was never paid holiday compensation when in the military. The lesson here? We always need to speak the same language with those that partner with us.

I previously mentioned, “it takes more than money to motivate people.” There is a purpose for everything we do, and we do everything for a purpose. If we can connect the dots of the consumer understanding the meaning of what we do and, in turn, give purpose to the individuals fulfilling the customer needs, we have a winning formula for success. 

Here are a few tips to motivate people in your charge for employers and customers:

Development through learning.

We build our confidence through understanding and knowledge.

Recognition.

“You are only as good as your last detail.” But in the interim, it is an excellent motivator to know you did something well.

Lead by Example – Not by Entitlement.

Stop placing yourself on a shelf for everyone to admire. Instead, get down in the trenches and lead the mission and earn respect.

You Don’t Have to Be the Boss.

Regardless if you are the client, employee, or employer, being held below, someone else is nothing anyone likes. Instead, focus on supporting the team toward mission success.

Not Providing Pathways Toward Growth is Short-Sighted.

Once again, the correlation between being an employee or a vendor is much the same. Establish pathways to long-term opportunities and goals. A stable relationship transcends from customer to vendor and vendor to associates.

Provide the Platform for an Enjoyable Workplace.

Enjoying what you do lends itself to making days much shorter. Be cognitive of the air you establish in your space.

Provide a Space That Provides Inclusion.

As a contracting vendor, the lack of inclusion is at the forefront of people not working to their potential. As a vendor that places people into other work environments, the customer unwittingly excludes the contracted personnel from being part of the team. This exclusion comes in many forms, from entrusted information that is mission-critical to inclusion to casual situations. Bottom-line, be inclusive whenever possible!

A few parting words:

I understand we are in an Alpha dominated business, but acknowledging what you know, and the willingness to learn about what you don’t know will get you, your people and your company much further ahead. Support the team regardless of the team make-up and develop trust in your relationships.

Best of luck in your business and career paths,

Bill Peeler, Team Member

Private Investigation Wages

Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for private investigators:

  1. California $68,570
  2. Delaware $65,610
  3. Utah  $64,440
  4. Nevada $64,200
  5. New Jersey $63,970
  6. Washington $63,750
  7. Maryland $61,730
  8. Missouri $60,890
  9. Idaho $60,130
  10. New York $59,100

Here are the bottom-10 states for private investigator salaries:

  1. Florida  $41,750
  2. Indiana $42,430
  3. Oklahoma $44,180
  4. Wisconsin $44,480
  5. Nebraska $45,040
  6. South Dakota $46,200
  7. Pennsylvania $47,940
  8. Michigan $48,040
  9. Louisiana $49,270
  10. Ohio $49,470

Security Guard Wages

Below is a list of the top-5 highest-paying states for security guards:

  1. District of Columbia $44,200
  2. Alaska $43,060
  3. Washington $41,030
  4. Missouri $39,160
  5. Virginia $38,000

Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying metropolitan areas for security guards:

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA $36,560
  2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $32,910
  3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI $33,690
  4. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL $29,430
  5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $44,380
  6. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $30,070
  7. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX $31,190
  8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $31,380
  9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $27,090
  10. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA $38,580

Here are the top-paying industries for security guards:

  1. Water, Sewage and Other Systems $60,820
  2. Natural Gas Distribution $59,600
  3. Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers $58,690
  4. Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $55,820
  5. Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing $55,180