Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for deputy sheriff-k9 handlers in the United States
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected deputy sheriff-k9 handler job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for deputy sheriff-k9 handlers are projected over the next decade.
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler salaries have increased 10% for deputy sheriff-k9 handlers in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,758 deputy sheriff-k9 handlers currently employed in the United States.
There are 27,785 active deputy sheriff-k9 handler job openings in the US.
The average deputy sheriff-k9 handler salary is $47,985.
Are deputy sheriff-k9 handler jobs in demand?
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler job and salary trends over time
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler jobs over time
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,758 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,668 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,757 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,723 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,732 | 0.00% |
Average deputy sheriff-k9 handler salary over time
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $47,985 | $23.07 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $46,236 | $22.23 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $44,940 | $21.61 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $44,698 | $21.49 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $43,695 | $21.01 | +2.3% |
Deputy sheriff-k9 handler jobs by state
Most common states for deputy sheriff-k9 handlers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 764 | 8% |
| 2 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 556 | 8% |
| 3 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 245 | 8% |
| 4 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 56 | 8% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 884 | 7% |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 481 | 7% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 405 | 7% |
| 8 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 395 | 7% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 99 | 7% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 418 | 6% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 360 | 6% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 262 | 6% |
| 13 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 169 | 6% |
| 14 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 95 | 6% |
| 15 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 77 | 6% |
| 16 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 49 | 6% |
| 17 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 656 | 5% |
| 18 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 601 | 5% |
| 19 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 347 | 5% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 152 | 5% |
Deputy Sheriff-K9 Handler job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of deputy sheriff-k9 handler experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
La Sierra University
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a Deputy Sheriff-K9 Handler?
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Deputy Sheriff-K9 Handler resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
T.Christopher Bell
ProfessorLa Sierra University
Criminal Justice Program
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Deputy Sheriff-K9 Handlers?
T.Christopher Bell: The enduring impact is that we now know we can work remotely. We can file reports online; we can conduct investigations, Background Investigations remotely, and expand our reach nationwide. Also, our hygiene has dramatically improved.