How much do police officers make?

Police Officer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (SOC 33-3051) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Police officers in the US earned a median of $76,210 a year ($36.64 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $59,290 to $97,600.

Median annual pay: $76,210; Mean $79,200
Median hourly pay: $36.64; Mean $38.08
Typical range (10th–90th): $47.5K–$115K; $47,510 to $115,120
US jobs: 670,520; +3.5% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a police officer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: California

Police Officer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$47,510
25th percentile$59,290
Median$76,210
75th percentile$97,600
90th percentile$115,120

Half of all police officers earned more than $76,210 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $47,510; the top 10% made over $115,120. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $59,290 to $97,600.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$47,510	$22.84	$3,959
25th	$59,290	$28.50	$4,941
Median (50th)	$76,210	$36.64	$6,351
75th	$97,600	$46.93	$8,133
90th	$115,120	$55.35	$9,593
Mean (average)	$79,200	$38.08	$6,600

Police Officer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for police officers by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. California $118,880
2. Washington $102,080
3. Illinois $100,520
4. Alaska $99,130
5. Colorado $97,350

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $46,140
50. Arkansas $47,670
49. Louisiana $48,380
48. Alabama $51,270
47. West Virginia $56,960

Best after cost of living: California. Its median of $118,880 is worth about $107,370 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$51,270	48	$57,722	48	$24.65	11,710	5.54
Alaska	$99,130	4	$96,845	3	$47.66	1,260	3.88
Arizona	$78,880	16	$78,350	20	$37.92	12,010	3.71
Arkansas	$47,670	50	$54,833	50	$22.92	5,710	4.38
California	$118,880	1	$107,370	1	$57.15	65,940	3.62
Colorado	$97,350	5	$94,467	5	$46.81	9,610	3.35
Connecticut	$82,170	14	$79,307	18	$39.51	6,500	3.83
Delaware	$92,970	6	$93,149	6	$44.70	1,800	3.71
District of Columbia	$88,650	9	$80,664	17	$42.62	4,720	6.72
Florida	$74,470	26	$72,012	31	$35.81	43,630	4.39
Georgia	$58,120	45	$60,357	47	$27.94	22,170	4.53
Hawaii	$83,820	12	$76,234	25	$40.30	2,420	3.86
Idaho	$66,990	35	$70,151	34	$32.21	2,810	3.28
Illinois	$100,520	3	$100,562	2	$48.33	29,180	4.79
Indiana	$73,370	29	$78,614	19	$35.27	12,980	4.05
Iowa	$74,470	27	$84,854	11	$35.81	5,130	3.29
Kansas	$59,230	44	$65,761	40	$28.48	6,130	4.26
Kentucky	$60,490	39	$67,093	39	$29.08	7,890	3.94
Louisiana	$48,380	49	$54,848	49	$23.26	12,400	6.41
Maine	$67,050	34	$69,088	35	$32.24	2,120	3.32
Maryland	$77,970	19	$74,286	29	$37.49	9,720	3.52
Massachusetts	$78,940	15	$74,643	28	$37.95	17,040	4.68
Michigan	$73,730	28	$76,629	24	$35.45	16,750	3.80
Minnesota	$83,360	13	$84,526	12	$40.08	9,160	3.10
Mississippi	$46,140	51	$53,063	51	$22.18	8,070	6.94
Missouri	$59,460	41	$65,472	41	$28.59	13,570	4.62
Montana	$70,050	31	$74,013	30	$33.68	2,160	4.22
Nebraska	$74,620	24	$82,816	16	$35.88	3,490	3.41
Nevada	$78,140	17	$78,156	23	$37.57	5,720	3.69
New Hampshire	$71,640	30	$68,776	36	$34.44	2,460	3.60
New Jersey	$92,610	8	$85,116	10	$44.53	21,780	5.08
New Mexico	$69,180	32	$75,023	27	$33.26	4,580	5.26
New York	$92,790	7	$85,980	8	$44.61	53,470	5.52
North Carolina	$59,300	42	$62,867	45	$28.51	22,370	4.53
North Dakota	$74,500	25	$83,746	13	$35.82	1,630	3.79
Ohio	$77,020	22	$83,019	14	$37.03	23,430	4.22
Oklahoma	$59,700	40	$67,962	38	$28.70	9,660	5.65
Oregon	$88,140	10	$85,274	9	$42.38	5,030	2.56
Pennsylvania	$85,470	11	$87,597	7	$41.09	26,510	4.37
Rhode Island	$77,230	21	$75,508	26	$37.13	1,940	3.88
South Carolina	$58,070	46	$61,942	46	$27.92	12,930	5.61
South Dakota	$60,740	38	$68,566	37	$29.20	2,000	4.36
Tennessee	$59,280	43	$64,526	43	$28.50	15,630	4.77
Texas	$75,900	23	$78,201	21	$36.49	63,100	4.48
Utah	$77,310	20	$78,198	22	$37.17	5,500	3.17
Vermont	$68,910	33	$70,346	33	$33.13	1,020	3.35
Virginia	$65,870	37	$65,151	42	$31.67	19,970	4.86
Washington	$102,080	2	$95,390	4	$49.08	9,160	2.58
West Virginia	$56,960	47	$63,645	44	$27.39	2,900	4.14
Wisconsin	$78,090	18	$82,991	15	$37.55	12,320	4.19
Wyoming	$66,140	36	$71,355	32	$31.80	1,310	4.67

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for police officers

380 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$136,140	$123,290	2,590
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$132,000	$114,174	7,990
Carson City, NV	$131,210	$133,710	110
Vallejo, CA	$129,900	$119,747	690
Napa, CA	$127,310	$113,110	300
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$125,910	$116,817	590
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$122,970	$111,897	400
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$121,980	$107,409	24,720
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$120,900	$111,123	730
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$119,640	$108,238	1,330

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	54,270	$105,540	$93,761
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	24,720	$121,980	$107,409
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	22,680	$107,810	$104,069
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	16,430	$92,910	$90,125
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	16,250	$74,570	$75,607
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	14,710	$79,840	$69,940
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	14,630	$84,000	$77,146
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	13,160	$89,580	$87,349
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	11,440	$78,180	$72,211
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	11,310	$60,910	$60,875

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves police officer pay: employers and settings

State is the biggest factor. California has the highest median at $118,880, followed by Washington at $102,080, Illinois at $100,520, Alaska at $99,130, and Colorado at $97,350. Pay is lowest in Louisiana at $48,380, Arkansas at $47,670, and Mississippi at $46,140. California still leads after living costs, at $107,370.

The type of agency matters too. State agencies such as highway patrols and state police pay a median of $88,400 compared with $75,920 for local police and sheriff's departments, where 85.6% of officers work. Federal executive branch officers earn $75,130. Campus and school police earn less: $63,280 at colleges and universities, $61,510 at elementary and secondary schools and $58,610 at junior colleges. The small group with private employers earns $59,390.

Across all officers, pay runs from $47,510, the 10th percentile, to $115,120, the 90th. Those percentiles describe the spread of pay across all officers, not steps in a single career. Paid overtime is common in police work, and promotion to sergeant or higher raises base pay.

Where police officers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	85.6%	$75,920
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	8.5%	$88,400
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	2.1%	$63,280
Federal Executive Branch	1.7%	$75,130
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1%	$61,510
Junior Colleges	0.5%	$58,610

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	6,720	$59,390
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	11,870	$75,250
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	68,340	$84,510
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	583,600	$75,780

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Police Officer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$76.2K $58.3K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $58,320 in 2015 to $76,210 in 2025, up 31% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $78,837 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 3% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What police officers do

Police officers, sheriff's deputies and state troopers patrol an assigned area, answer 911 and other calls for help, enforce traffic and criminal laws, and arrest people suspected of crimes. A shift can move from a fender-bender to a domestic dispute, a shoplifting arrest, a welfare check on an older resident and a mental health crisis, with written reports for each. Officers also testify in court, direct traffic at crashes and events, and serve warrants and court papers.

About 86% of patrol officers work for local government: city police departments and county sheriff's offices. State agencies such as highway patrols and state police employ most of the rest, along with campus police at colleges and schools and a small number of federal officers. Police work runs around the clock, so new officers usually start on nights, weekends and holidays, and overtime is common. The job carries real physical risk and regular exposure to violence, injury and death.

A typical day

Patrol a beat by car, on foot or by bike and watch for crimes and hazards
Respond to calls ranging from alarms and noise complaints to assaults and crashes
Stop drivers for traffic violations and write citations or warnings
Interview victims and witnesses, collect evidence and secure scenes
Arrest suspects, transport them and book them into jail
Write detailed incident and arrest reports, often from body camera footage
Testify in court about arrests and investigations

Also called: cops, police, sheriff deputy, deputy sheriff, state trooper, police officers, k-9 handler (canine handler), law enforcement officer.

How to become a police officer

Full guide

To become a police officer, you meet your state's minimum standards (usually age 21 and a high school diploma), pass a department's written test, fitness test and background check, complete a state-certified police academy averaging about 800 hours, and then finish field training. Most people take 1 to 2 years from application to working solo patrol.

Typical time: 1-2 years; Fastest: About 1 year
Minimum education: High school diploma or GED; some departments and most federal agencies require college credits or a degree
License: Required in nearly all states: sworn officers must complete basic training approved by the state's POST board or commission and meet its certification rules (names and rules vary; Hawaii is still phasing in statewide certification)
Typical training cost: $0–$9.4K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a police officer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 1-2 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $0–$9.4K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $76,210; $25,230 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–12%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($25,230 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (1-2 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for police officers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +3.5%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 693,200; 717,300 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 51,500; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: —; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects patrol officer jobs to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, from 693,200 to 717,300, the same rate as the average for all occupations. That still means about 51,500 openings a year, because officers retire, move to other agencies or leave law enforcement. Hiring depends heavily on city, county and state budgets, so openings can rise or fall quickly in a given area. Some college coursework helps, and a second language is an asset in many agencies and regions.

Related careers and their pay

Detective$93,790
Private Investigator$51,220
Correctional Officer$58,940
Judge$153,990
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Police Officer salary FAQ

How much do police officers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for police officers was $36.64 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $22.84 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $55.35. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays police officers the most?

California has the highest median pay for police officers, $118,880 a year, followed by Washington ($102,080) and Illinois ($100,520). After adjusting for each state's price level, California comes out ahead at about $107,370 in national-average dollars.

Do police officers make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of police officers earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $76,210, and the top 10% earn more than $115,120. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do state troopers make more than city police?

In our data, state agencies pay more at the median. Officers employed by state government outside schools and hospitals, which includes highway patrols and state police, have a median of $88,400 against $75,920 for local police and sheriff's departments. Big-city departments in high-wage states can pay more than a state agency elsewhere, so compare specific agencies where you want to live.

Do police officers get paid during the academy?

Often, yes. Many departments hire you first and send you to the academy as a paid recruit or trainee. In other cases, people pay their own way through an academy run by a college or regional center, then apply to departments as already-trained candidates. California's POST notes that some agencies hire candidates before the academy while others expect them to finish it first.

Has police officer pay kept up with inflation?

Not over the past decade. The median rose from $58,320 in 2015 to $76,210 in 2025. In 2025 dollars, though, the 2015 median was worth $78,837 and so the typical officer's buying power is slightly lower than ten years ago. Local pay can differ from the national trend, so check the current salary schedule of the agencies you are considering.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 33-3051
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (33-3051.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Police and Detectives, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies and Recruits, 2022, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice · checked October 28, 2026
How Do I Become a Peace Officer?, California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training · checked October 28, 2026
Regular Basic Course, California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training · checked October 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
TCOLE Statutes and Rules Handbook, November 1, 2025 (Rule 217.1, Minimum Standards for Enrollment and Initial Licensure), Texas Commission on Law Enforcement · checked October 28, 2026
Draft bill relating to the Law Enforcement Standards Board (certification deadline extension), December 5, 2025 draft, Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii · checked October 28, 2026

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