Average Fire Investigator Salary in Phoenix, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Fire Investigator salary for 2026 in Phoenix and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Fire Investigator Make in Phoenix?

A Fire Investigator working in Phoenix will typically earn around 108,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 51,100 USD to the highest average salary of 172,100 USD.

Average Annual Salary108,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary9,016 USD
Average Lowest Salary51,100 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary4,258 USD
Average Highest Salary172,100 USD
Highest Monthly Salary14,341 USD

These are average salaries for a Fire Investigator in Phoenix and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Fire Investigator to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Fire Investigator salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Fire Investigator Salaries in Phoenix

So we've looked at the average salaries a Fire Investigator will earn in Phoenix. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Fire Investigator can earn between 51,100 USD and 172,100 USD on average in Phoenix. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Fire Investigator in Phoenix is 116,400 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 116,400 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 116,400 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Fire Investigator salary in Phoenix, 25% of the population are earning less than 77,000 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 77,000 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 151,800 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 151,800 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Fire Investigator Salary by Experience Level in Phoenix

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Fire Investigator salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Fire Investigator in Phoenix that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 61,700 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Fire Investigator salary would increase to 86,100 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Fire Investigator, the average salary would be 116,400 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 140,200 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Fire Investigator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 151,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Fire Investigator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 163,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
61,700 USD
2-5 Years+42%
86,100 USD
5-10 Years+31%
116,400 USD
10-15 Years+23%
140,200 USD
15-20 Years+6%
151,800 USD
20+ Years+10%
163,800 USD

Fire Investigator Salary by Education Level in Phoenix

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Fire Investigator in Phoenix based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Fire Investigator in Phoenix with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 81,300 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Fire Investigator in Phoenix with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 156,200 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma-
81,300 USD
Bachelor's Degree+90%
156,200 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Fire Investigator Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Phoenix, a male fire investigator will earn an average of 97,100 USD, while a female fire investigator will earn around 94,100 USD.

This means that a male fire investigator earns approximately 3% more than a female fire investigator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Phoenix

Male-
97,100 USD
Female-3%
94,100 USD

Fire Investigator Average Pay Raise in Phoenix

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Fire Investigator in Phoenix is around 10% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Fire Investigator in Phoenix can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Phoenix for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Fire Investigator Bonus and Incentive Rates in Phoenix

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Fire Investigator is a low bonus based job, with 35% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

65% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
35%
No Bonus-
65%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Fire Investigator

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Fire Investigator in Phoenix.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Accreditation CoordinatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire79,600 USD
Accreditation ManagerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire114,300 USD
AdvocateLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire69,800 USD
Armed Security OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire68,200 USD
Company GuardLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire34,000 USD
Control Room OperatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire32,200 USD
Correctional OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire53,300 USD
Criminal InvestigatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire105,200 USD
Facility MonitorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire60,600 USD
Fire ChiefLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire100,700 USD
Fire DispatcherLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire49,700 USD
Fire Education SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire88,500 USD
Fire Extinguisher TechnicianLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire31,800 USD
Fire FighterLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire54,100 USD
Fire InspectorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire103,600 USD
Fire Prevention EngineerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire89,400 USD
Fire Prevention OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire72,800 USD
Fire Protection SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire88,400 USD
Forensic InvestigatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire95,300 USD
Forensic Science TechnicianLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire99,700 USD
Fraud ExaminerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire107,700 USD
Fraud and Forensic SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire100,700 USD
Grants SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire127,700 USD
Intellectual Property AssociateLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire88,600 USD
Intelligence Research SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire153,800 USD
InvestigatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire100,700 USD
Jail OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire45,000 USD
Juvenile Probation OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire69,700 USD
Juvenile Supervision OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire72,700 USD
Lock-SmithLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire29,100 USD
Parole OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire50,000 USD
Police CaptainLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire124,500 USD
Police Communications OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire76,000 USD
Police OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire54,900 USD
Police Patrol OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire51,400 USD
Prison OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire43,800 USD
Prisoner Custody OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire35,300 USD
Private Detective / InvestigatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire102,700 USD
Security AdviserLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire95,200 USD
Security GuardLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire26,900 USD
Security Management SpecialistLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire142,100 USD
Security ManagerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire147,900 USD
Security OfficerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire33,300 USD
Security SupervisorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire80,300 USD
Security Systems InstallerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire79,000 USD
Security TechnicianLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire30,200 USD
Surveillance OperatorLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire39,600 USD
Traffic ControllerLaw Enforcement / Security / Fire58,600 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta92,100 USD
Austin105,800 USD
Baltimore99,900 USD
Boston99,700 USD
Bristol83,700 USD
Chicago117,100 USD
Cincinnati83,400 USD
Cleveland85,500 USD
Dallas107,700 USD
Denver100,700 USD
Detroit94,300 USD
Honolulu80,300 USD
Houston114,600 USD
Indianapolis105,200 USD
Iowa City84,800 USD
Jacksonville109,000 USD
Kansas City94,300 USD
Kent87,200 USD
Las Vegas94,200 USD
Long Beach92,300 USD
Los Angeles117,100 USD
Memphis99,700 USD
Miami93,200 USD
Minneapolis93,200 USD
New Orleans87,300 USD
New York114,900 USD
Oakland91,000 USD
Oklahoma City95,000 USD
Orlando83,000 USD
Philadelphia112,700 USD
Sacramento95,100 USD
San Antonio108,200 USD
San Diego112,700 USD
San Francisco107,700 USD
San Jose108,200 USD
Seattle100,700 USD
Tampa86,300 USD
Vancouver80,800 USD
Washington D.C.105,200 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama107,300 USD
Alaska93,800 USD
Arizona108,200 USD
Arkansas100,700 USD
California116,400 USD
Colorado105,200 USD
Connecticut99,700 USD
Delaware92,900 USD
District of Columbia91,900 USD
Florida114,600 USD
Georgia108,200 USD
Hawaii93,900 USD
Idaho92,200 USD
Illinois108,200 USD
Indiana105,800 USD
Iowa97,400 USD
Kansas98,100 USD
Kentucky100,100 USD
Louisiana100,300 USD
Maine91,900 USD
Maryland103,600 USD
Massachusetts103,600 USD
Michigan105,800 USD
Minnesota98,900 USD
Mississippi91,700 USD
Missouri101,100 USD
Montana88,400 USD
Nebraska88,700 USD
Nevada93,200 USD
New Hampshire89,300 USD
New Jersey103,600 USD
New Mexico89,400 USD
New York105,800 USD
North Carolina103,600 USD
North Dakota91,600 USD
Ohio114,600 USD
Oklahoma103,600 USD
Oregon103,600 USD
Pennsylvania114,600 USD
Rhode Island93,100 USD
South Carolina102,700 USD
South Dakota92,300 USD
Tennessee107,700 USD
Texas114,600 USD
Utah95,200 USD
Vermont88,600 USD
Virginia107,700 USD
Washington107,300 USD
West Virginia95,000 USD
Wisconsin102,700 USD
Wyoming86,600 USD

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