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Job outlook for military police officers in the United States
Military police officer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected military police officer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for military police officers are projected over the next decade.
Military police officer salaries have increased 10% for military police officers in the last 5 years.
There are over 67,451 military police officers currently employed in the United States.
There are 122,487 active military police officer job openings in the US.
The average military police officer salary is $38,080.
Are military police officer jobs in demand?
Military police officer job and salary trends over time
Military police officer jobs over time
Military police officer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67,451 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 66,389 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 67,441 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 67,040 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 67,148 | 0.02% |
Average military police officer salary over time
Military police officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $38,080 | $18.31 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | $36,691 | $17.64 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $35,663 | $17.15 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $35,471 | $17.05 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $34,675 | $16.67 | +2.3% |
Military police officer jobs by state
Most common states for military police officers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 171 | 25% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,657 | 24% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 256 | 24% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 443 | 23% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,227 | 22% |
| 6 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 376 | 22% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 161 | 21% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 264 | 20% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 188 | 20% |
| 10 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,164 | 19% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,162 | 19% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 835 | 19% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 121 | 19% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,329 | 18% |
| 15 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,015 | 18% |
| 16 | Alaska | 739,795 | 131 | 18% |
| 17 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 1,953 | 17% |
| 18 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 514 | 17% |
| 19 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 149 | 17% |
| 20 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,185 | 16% |
Most common cities for military police officers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $49,200 |
| 2 | Bangor | 1 | 3% | $36,226 |
| 3 | Las Cruces | 2 | 2% | $34,808 |
| 4 | Arecibo | 1 | 2% | $33,220 |
| 5 | Baytown | 1 | 1% | $39,363 |
| 6 | Beaumont | 1 | 1% | $39,330 |
| 7 | Houston | 3 | 0% | $39,432 |
| 8 | San Jose | 3 | 0% | $53,191 |
| 9 | Albuquerque | 2 | 0% | $35,081 |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $50,127 |
| 11 | Miami | 2 | 0% | $33,210 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City | 2 | 0% | $30,898 |
| 13 | Phoenix | 2 | 0% | $40,292 |
| 14 | Tucson | 2 | 0% | $39,986 |
| 15 | Austin | 1 | 0% | $39,986 |
| 16 | Bakersfield | 1 | 0% | $50,954 |
Military Police Officer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of military police officer experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Curry College
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat will help Military Police Officers increase their earning potential?
Jill Myers: I believe that knowledge of the legal limits of technology usage will increase dramatically over the next few years and decades. There are few crimes that do not involve investigations impacted by technological and cyber transactions. The ability to conduct cyber investigations, not computer programing or computer systems security per se, will increase the success of an investigation. Additionally, as disasters are increasing more frequently than ever before, both natural disasters (tornadoes, floods, fires, biological like COVID) and human made ones (mass shootings, war, terrorism), all of public safety must understand emergency management protocols, NIMS, hazmat responses, search and rescue, etc.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Military Police Officer 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
What will help Military Police Officers increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Balboni: It's certainly been said before, but soft skills-the ability to communicate effectively with different individuals and groups, as well as the ability to advocate for others--are key competencies in the justice field. Being able to communicate with others, as well as understand and empathize with others--is a vital skill in this field.
More technically, graduates who are able to navigate the virtual/digital world will be prepared to help agencies transition to build more permanent digital programming into the fields of corrections, courts, and law enforcement moving forward. The digital programming that has cropped up as a result of this pandemic is likely not going away entirely once the pandemic is more under control-people like the flexibility it provides. The same is true in the justice realm: virtual connections have been integrated in various processes, facilitating important connections between support services and folks involved in the justice system.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Department of Criminal Justice
What Military Police Officer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic apparently has brought uncertainty to the job market, and job opportunities, especially in some of the social sciences, are reduced. There is an old Turkish saying, "bread is in the mouth of the lion" (ekmek aslanın ağzında) that sums it up nicely. It implies that it is a struggle to make a living. Life after college is not easy. There is too much competition in the job market. Suppose graduates need to take a gap year. In that case, they need to continue to learn after graduation—an extra set of skills that can put them ahead of other applicants—learning another language can put the graduates on the top of other candidates since there are plenty of applicants just like them. Becoming fluent in a second language can bring graduates several advantages.
They can also apply for internship programs of local and federal criminal justice agencies during a gap year. The graduates can observe a criminal justice agency's working environment and the culture of a specific community. They can decide if they want to serve in the organization and the community. They should also consider international organizations' internship programs, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) or Office of Counter-Terrorism internship programs. The UNODC has an office in New York. This internship program provides a framework for students (enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a bachelor's level or equivalent degree programs) to develop their professional skills and gain practical work experience in an international environment. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship online.