Job Title · City Detail
Investigator Iii Salary in Austin, Texas
In Austin, the State of Texas reports 7 public employees holding the INVESTIGATOR III classification. Average annual base pay is $61,251, with a median of $59,987 and a range from $53,931 to $70,893. The largest employer of this title in Austin is DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES.
How Austin compares for the INVESTIGATOR III role
Across all of Texas state government, the average base pay for the INVESTIGATOR III classification is $61,251, calculated from 7 employees in 4+ agencies statewide. In Austin specifically the average sits at $61,251, which runs about 0% above the statewide figure for this role — a difference of $0.00 per year between an average Austin incumbent and an average Texas incumbent in the same classification. That gap is consistent with what you would expect given the mix of employers active in Austin and the cost-of-living posture of the metro relative to other Texas cities.
Compared to all public-sector employees in Austin (regardless of title), the INVESTIGATOR III role pays about 50% less than the citywide average of $122,907. That places this title below the citywide average, which is common for support, technical, and entry-level state classifications — the citywide figure is pulled upward by the state's senior medical, judicial, executive, and academic-leadership salaries. For an apples-to-apples comparison against other roles in Austin, see our city profile for Austin or compare against the same title in other Texas cities via the INVESTIGATOR III hub.
Within Austin, the INVESTIGATOR III classification appears at 4 different state employers: DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. The single largest employer is DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, which accounts for 4 of the 7 reported records in this combination. Where multiple agencies employ the same classification, pay variation is normal — agencies set individual pay within the state classification plan's salary band based on tenure, market conditions, and any agency-specific salary supplements that have been authorized by the Legislature or by the agency's governing board.
Top Investigator Iiis in Austin by pay
| Name | Agency | Annual pay | Hire date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kayla Bergert | OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL | $70,893 | March 1, 2024 |
| Thomas Moore | DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES | $62,987 | March 29, 2021 |
| Todd Burris | DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES | $62,987 | November 28, 2022 |
| Melanie Magby | DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES | $59,987 | October 1, 2023 |
| Peter Gonzales | DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES | $59,987 | July 24, 2023 |
| Heidi Rodriguez | TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION | $57,985 | June 1, 2011 |
| Wendy Friesenhahn | DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY | $53,931 | June 1, 2000 |
Reading this number in context
The annual pay column on this page reflects what the State of Texas reports as the employee’s annualized base salary at the time of the most recent payroll snapshot. It does not include benefits, retirement contributions (such as TRS or ERS employer contributions), longevity pay, hazardous-duty pay, paid leave cash-outs, contract buyouts, or any supplements paid out of foundation, athletic, or grant funds — categories that can add materially to total compensation, especially in academic medical centers and senior university roles. Use the figures here as an apples-to-apples baseline for comparison; treat them as the starting point of a conversation, not the final word.
Two employees in Austin with the same INVESTIGATOR III title can earn very different amounts for legitimate reasons. The State of Texas operates a position classification plan in which most titles map to a salary group with a defined minimum, midpoint, and maximum, and agencies are free to set individual pay anywhere within that band. Universities and elected-officials’ offices are exempt from the standard plan altogether and set pay independently. Tenure, prior agency service, market-pay adjustments approved under Texas Government Code Chapter 659, and acting-leadership stipends all contribute to within-title variation. For the full set of caveats, see our methodology.
If you want to compare what the INVESTIGATOR III role pays in other Texas cities, the INVESTIGATOR III hub aggregates every reported incumbent statewide. To see what other classifications pay in Austin, the Austin city profile breaks down the local mix of employers and titles. For peer roles, the job-titles index is the master list.