How much can you really make as a security clearance background investigator?
According to ZipRecruiter, “As of Jul 19, 2023, the average annual pay for a Federal Background Investigator in Virginia is $63,090 a year.” Here are the other numbers by state according to the site:
| State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| New Jersey | $72,828 | $6,069 | $1,400 | $35.01 |
| Wisconsin | $72,101 | $6,008 | $1,386 | $34.66 |
| Nevada | $70,134 | $5,844 | $1,348 | $33.72 |
| Massachusetts | $69,770 | $5,814 | $1,341 | $33.54 |
| Minnesota | $69,195 | $5,766 | $1,330 | $33.27 |
| Oregon | $68,835 | $5,736 | $1,323 | $33.09 |
| Hawaii | $67,839 | $5,653 | $1,304 | $32.61 |
| Washington | $67,303 | $5,608 | $1,294 | $32.36 |
| New York | $66,997 | $5,583 | $1,288 | $32.21 |
| Alaska | $66,333 | $5,527 | $1,275 | $31.89 |
| Iowa | $66,282 | $5,523 | $1,274 | $31.87 |
| New Mexico | $65,336 | $5,444 | $1,256 | $31.41 |
| Connecticut | $65,064 | $5,422 | $1,251 | $31.28 |
| Rhode Island | $65,018 | $5,418 | $1,250 | $31.26 |
| South Dakota | $64,822 | $5,401 | $1,246 | $31.16 |
| North Dakota | $64,773 | $5,397 | $1,245 | $31.14 |
| Ohio | $64,547 | $5,378 | $1,241 | $31.03 |
| Tennessee | $63,182 | $5,265 | $1,215 | $30.38 |
| Utah | $62,839 | $5,236 | $1,208 | $30.21 |
| California | $62,762 | $5,230 | $1,206 | $30.17 |
| Illinois | $61,716 | $5,143 | $1,186 | $29.67 |
| Virginia | $60,306 | $5,025 | $1,159 | $28.99 |
| Maryland | $60,287 | $5,023 | $1,159 | $28.98 |
| Mississippi | $60,149 | $5,012 | $1,156 | $28.92 |
| Vermont | $59,898 | $4,991 | $1,151 | $28.80 |
| Delaware | $59,424 | $4,952 | $1,142 | $28.57 |
| Colorado | $59,370 | $4,947 | $1,141 | $28.54 |
| Kansas | $57,809 | $4,817 | $1,111 | $27.79 |
| Louisiana | $57,694 | $4,807 | $1,109 | $27.74 |
| Maine | $57,430 | $4,785 | $1,104 | $27.61 |
| Wyoming | $57,367 | $4,780 | $1,103 | $27.58 |
| Oklahoma | $57,295 | $4,774 | $1,101 | $27.55 |
| South Carolina | $57,225 | $4,768 | $1,100 | $27.51 |
| Indiana | $57,117 | $4,759 | $1,098 | $27.46 |
| Arizona | $57,098 | $4,758 | $1,098 | $27.45 |
| Michigan | $56,783 | $4,731 | $1,091 | $27.30 |
| Missouri | $56,350 | $4,695 | $1,083 | $27.09 |
| Georgia | $56,130 | $4,677 | $1,079 | $26.99 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,062 | $4,671 | $1,078 | $26.95 |
| New Hampshire | $55,859 | $4,654 | $1,074 | $26.86 |
| Texas | $55,695 | $4,641 | $1,071 | $26.78 |
| Montana | $54,780 | $4,565 | $1,053 | $26.34 |
| Nebraska | $54,646 | $4,553 | $1,050 | $26.27 |
| Idaho | $54,037 | $4,503 | $1,039 | $25.98 |
| Kentucky | $52,853 | $4,404 | $1,016 | $25.41 |
| North Carolina | $52,249 | $4,354 | $1,004 | $25.12 |
| Arkansas | $51,887 | $4,323 | $997 | $24.95 |
| West Virginia | $48,305 | $4,025 | $928 | $23.22 |
| Alabama | $48,253 | $4,021 | $927 | $23.20 |
| Florida | $48,204 | $4,017 | $927 | $23.18 |
But pay wise, there is sometimes a difference between supporting an agency as a federal employee vs. being a contractor. One ClearanceJobsBlog subscriber was curious:
I’ve always wondered how much contractor’s make compared to the feds. I’m a federal BI and GG-12 step 4 in San Diego $103,244. 40 hours a week.
There’s a big discrepancy between ZipRecruiter’s CA average and the government representative above noting over $100K per year…likely because salaries disclosed on ZipRecruiter’s site aren’t government personnel. So, what’s the true story?
The 2023 Security Clearance Compensation Report found through surveying nearly 50,000 security clearance holders that security professionals made an average of $86,375 per year, which was a 5% increase from 2022. Those surveyed include contractors and government personnel. Early career professionals made an average of $68,903, mid-level at $78,252, senior at $93,256, and management making around $123,141. These numbers jive more closely with what DCSA wage determinations show:
DCSA.mil Pay and Benefits
Government employees under DCSA are onboarded into roles on the General Government (GG) grade scale and are paid through the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). In addition to benefits like Paid Time Off, insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits like flexible work schedules, compensation includes a background investigator’s base pay plus a regional increase (which can be found on the local market pay tables for Federal General Schedule (GS) grades and steps).
Working directly for the government as a BI has its perks: federal employees salaries start at step 1 and climb the latter up the 10-step scale (one year each for steps 2 through 4, two years for steps 5 through 7, and three years for steps 8 through 10).
Another subscriber on the thread notes that they make between $99,000 to $120,000 as a 1099 contractor while another is “lucky to invoice $800 per week.” Contractors have flexibility, but also significant fluctuations in compensation.
Becoming a BI is not the lifestyle for everyone, but it is one of few career tracks that can be both a launch to a career in national security or a great option for transitioning service members leaving on career to start another.
