According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, detectives and criminal investigators make an average of $65,860 a year. Those who work specifically for the local government, as homicide detectives usually do, make closer to $61,230 a year. State government detectives make less, around $54,940 a year. Federal detectives make the most, averaging about $75,390 a year as of 2009. Homicide detectives are generally the highest promotion for a detective, so they usually make on the upper end of an average salary.