Money · 1 of 5
What private investigators make
Typical
$44,000
Newly licensed
$34,000
Experienced or agency owner
$65,000
One Job Bank page pools private investigators with police detectives, whose median of $55.77 an hour has nothing to do with private work. Job Bank's separate private investigator page is the honest anchor: national median $21 an hour, about $44,000 a year full time, with a low of $16.55 and a high of $31.45. Alberta's career guide shows the same level. Agency owners and specialists earn more; new investigators earn close to minimum wage.