What is the average pay scale for someone in the criminal justice field?

The median pay for police officers and detectives in 2012 was $56,980 per year, or around $27.40 per hour, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Pay was slightly more on average for criminal investigators, who made an average of $74,300 per year.

Police and sheriff's patrol officers made an average of $55,270, notes the BLS. Transit and railroad police made around $55,210, while fish and game wardens earned a median yearly income of $48,979. Some of the highest-paid police officers and detectives in the top 10 percent of earners made more than $93,450, while the lowest-earning 10 percent made around $33,060.