Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers pay in the U.S.
$79,200avg. a year
$38.08 an hour · 670,520 employed
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in the U.S. earn an average of $79,200 a year and a median of $76,210. Pay is highest in California ($112,980) and lowest in Mississippi ($47,010).
$76,210Median pay
$38.08Average hourly
+13%Avg. pay since 2020
670,520Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for police and sheriff's patrol officers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
165,940 jobs
California
$112,980
$54.32 an hour
29,160 jobs
Washington
$104,140
$50.07 an hour
31,260 jobs
Alaska
$101,770
$48.93 an hour
421,780 jobs
New Jersey
$93,700
$45.05 an hour
51,800 jobs
Delaware
$93,210
$44.81 an hour
629,180 jobs
Illinois
$92,450
$44.45 an hour
74,720 jobs
District of Columbia
$92,390
$44.42 an hour
89,610 jobs
Colorado
$90,550
$43.54 an hour
92,420 jobs
Hawaii
$90,360
$43.44 an hour
105,030 jobs
Oregon
$87,990
$42.30 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $63k$63k–$75k$75k–$85k$85k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $143,520 | $69.00 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $130,190 | $62.59 |
| Vallejo, CA | $127,150 | $61.13 |
| Napa, CA | $124,360 | $59.79 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $118,750 | $57.09 |
| Redding, CA | $117,570 | $56.52 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $115,630 | $55.59 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $114,880 | $55.23 |
Related jobs
- Correctional Officers and Jailers$63,630
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators$99,430
- Bailiffs$61,660
- Parking Enforcement Workers$51,190
- Fish and Game Wardens$74,950
- Transit and Railroad Police$91,810
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $55,130 | $51,270 | 11,710 |
| Alaska | $101,770 | $99,130 | 1,260 |
| Arizona | $81,720 | $78,880 | 12,010 |
| Arkansas | $49,850 | $47,670 | 5,710 |
| California | $112,980 | $118,880 | 65,940 |
| Colorado | $90,550 | $97,350 | 9,610 |
| Connecticut | $83,920 | $82,170 | 6,500 |
| Delaware | $93,210 | $92,970 | 1,800 |
| District of Columbia | $92,390 | $88,650 | 4,720 |
| Florida | $75,320 | $74,470 | 43,630 |
| Georgia | $58,520 | $58,120 | 22,170 |
| Hawaii | $90,360 | $83,820 | 2,420 |
| Idaho | $70,860 | $66,990 | 2,810 |
| Illinois | $92,450 | $100,520 | 29,180 |
| Indiana | $75,130 | $73,370 | 12,980 |
| Iowa | $76,280 | $74,470 | 5,130 |
| Kansas | $61,450 | $59,230 | 6,130 |
| Kentucky | $59,840 | $60,490 | 7,890 |
| Louisiana | $51,250 | $48,380 | 12,400 |
| Maine | $69,830 | $67,050 | 2,120 |
| Maryland | $82,400 | $77,970 | 9,720 |
| Massachusetts | $83,230 | $78,940 | 17,040 |
| Michigan | $70,310 | $73,730 | 16,750 |
| Minnesota | $85,130 | $83,360 | 9,160 |
| Mississippi | $47,010 | $46,140 | 8,070 |
| Missouri | $62,520 | $59,460 | 13,570 |
| Montana | $69,540 | $70,050 | 2,160 |
| Nebraska | $75,290 | $74,620 | 3,490 |
| Nevada | $86,470 | $78,140 | 5,720 |
| New Hampshire | $70,630 | $71,640 | 2,460 |
| New Jersey | $93,700 | $92,610 | 21,780 |
| New Mexico | $66,700 | $69,180 | 4,580 |
| New York | $87,110 | $92,790 | 53,470 |
| North Carolina | $61,390 | $59,300 | 22,370 |
| North Dakota | $72,400 | $74,500 | 1,630 |
| Ohio | $76,730 | $77,020 | 23,430 |
| Oklahoma | $63,120 | $59,700 | 9,660 |
| Oregon | $87,990 | $88,140 | 5,030 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,910 | $85,470 | 26,510 |
| Rhode Island | $78,760 | $77,230 | 1,940 |
| South Carolina | $60,420 | $58,070 | 12,930 |
| South Dakota | $64,320 | $60,740 | 2,000 |
| Tennessee | $61,830 | $59,280 | 15,630 |
| Texas | $76,160 | $75,900 | 63,100 |
| Utah | $78,760 | $77,310 | 5,500 |
| Vermont | $70,560 | $68,910 | 1,020 |
| Virginia | $70,450 | $65,870 | 19,970 |
| Washington | $104,140 | $102,080 | 9,160 |
| West Virginia | $55,900 | $56,960 | 2,900 |
| Wisconsin | $76,560 | $78,090 | 12,320 |
| Wyoming | $67,080 | $66,140 | 1,310 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$92,940
54,270 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$112,320
24,720 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$99,230
22,680 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$87,110
16,430 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$74,260
16,250 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$84,780
14,710 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$87,110
14,630 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$86,910
13,160 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do police and sheriff's patrol officers make?
The average is $79,200 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $76,210 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $38.08, and the median is $36.64 an hour.
Which state pays police and sheriff's patrol officers the most?
California, with an average of $112,980 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $143,520.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $47,510 a year, and the top 10% earn over $115,120.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-3051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.