Best states for a patrol officer

Q: What is the best state for patrol officers?

The best state to be a patrol officer is North Dakota based on patrol officer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for patrol officers?

The highest paying state for patrol officers is Oklahoma based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for patrol officers?

The worst state for patrol officers is Kansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for patrol officers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for patrol officer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.As patrol officers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for patrol officers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a patrol officer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

In order to get you the best states for patrol officers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.If you are currently seeking employment as a patrol officer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for patrol officers in 2025

1. North Dakota
Total patrol officer jobs: 132
Average annual salary: $50,862
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Patrol officer jobs in North Dakota
2. Connecticut
Total patrol officer jobs: 494
Average annual salary: $46,312
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Patrol officer jobs in Connecticut
3. Washington
Total patrol officer jobs: 985
Average annual salary: $46,753
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Patrol officer jobs in Washington
4. Minnesota
Total patrol officer jobs: 876
Average annual salary: $45,580
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1
Patrol officer jobs in Minnesota
5. Mississippi
Total patrol officer jobs: 316
Average annual salary: $38,272
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Patrol officer jobs in Mississippi
6. Rhode Island
Total patrol officer jobs: 179
Average annual salary: $39,343
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Patrol officer jobs in Rhode Island
7. Maine
Total patrol officer jobs: 180
Average annual salary: $41,127
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Patrol officer jobs in Maine
8. Massachusetts
Total patrol officer jobs: 1,223
Average annual salary: $42,433
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Patrol officer jobs in Massachusetts
9. New Hampshire
Total patrol officer jobs: 229
Average annual salary: $40,965
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Patrol officer jobs in New Hampshire
10. Oregon
Total patrol officer jobs: 477
Average annual salary: $43,210
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Patrol officer jobs in Oregon

Patrol officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a patrol officer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a patrol officer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$50,862	$40,000	755,393	132
2	Connecticut	$46,312	$34,000	3,588,184	494
3	Washington	$46,753	$36,000	7,405,743	985
4	Minnesota	$45,580	$35,000	5,576,606	876
5	Mississippi	$38,272	$28,000	2,984,100	316
6	Rhode Island	$39,343	$29,000	1,059,639	179
7	Maine	$41,127	$32,000	1,335,907	180
8	Massachusetts	$42,433	$32,000	6,859,819	1,223
9	New Hampshire	$40,965	$31,000	1,342,795	229
10	Oregon	$43,210	$33,000	4,142,776	477
11	Vermont	$37,962	$29,000	623,657	109
12	New York	$39,140	$28,000	19,849,399	1,869
13	Montana	$42,384	$33,000	1,050,493	116
14	California	$37,995	$28,000	39,536,653	4,580
15	Colorado	$35,911	$27,000	5,607,154	997
16	Wisconsin	$35,506	$26,000	5,795,483	731
17	West Virginia	$35,424	$26,000	1,815,857	190
18	Alaska	$40,667	$35,000	739,795	89
19	Nevada	$33,244	$24,000	2,998,039	355
20	Illinois	$36,301	$27,000	12,802,023	1,315
21	Idaho	$31,687	$24,000	1,716,943	342
22	Delaware	$33,566	$24,000	961,939	175
23	Maryland	$33,643	$24,000	6,052,177	951
24	Arkansas	$33,519	$25,000	3,004,279	326
25	Virginia	$33,526	$24,000	8,470,020	1,540
26	Pennsylvania	$33,888	$24,000	12,805,537	1,397
27	Wyoming	$35,301	$26,000	579,315	56
28	Indiana	$34,489	$25,000	6,666,818	657
29	South Dakota	$33,058	$25,000	869,666	120
30	New Jersey	$33,672	$24,000	9,005,644	1,036
31	New Mexico	$31,332	$23,000	2,088,070	282
32	Arizona	$30,227	$22,000	7,016,270	983
33	Utah	$33,269	$25,000	3,101,833	300
34	Alabama	$28,844	$21,000	4,874,747	650
35	Ohio	$32,187	$23,000	11,658,609	1,095
36	South Carolina	$31,669	$23,000	5,024,369	537
37	Hawaii	$29,589	$25,000	1,427,538	125
38	Florida	$28,056	$20,000	20,984,400	2,829
39	Texas	$31,342	$23,000	28,304,596	2,320
40	Michigan	$31,882	$23,000	9,962,311	798
41	Iowa	$28,796	$21,000	3,145,711	428
42	District of Columbia	$33,337	$24,000	693,972	144
43	Missouri	$28,642	$21,000	6,113,532	652
44	Georgia	$27,015	$20,000	10,429,379	1,347
45	Kentucky	$28,361	$21,000	4,454,189	380
46	Nebraska	$26,704	$20,000	1,920,076	269
47	North Carolina	$28,089	$20,000	10,273,419	975
48	Louisiana	$23,613	$17,000	4,684,333	390
49	Tennessee	$24,939	$18,000	6,715,984	616
50	Oklahoma	$22,327	$16,000	3,930,864	367
51	Kansas	$24,693	$18,000	2,913,123	296

Highest paying states for patrol officers

Rank	State	Avg. Patrol Officer Salary
1	North Dakota	$50,862
2	Connecticut	$46,312
3	Washington	$46,753
4	Minnesota	$45,580
5	Mississippi	$38,272
6	Rhode Island	$39,343
7	Maine	$41,127
8	Massachusetts	$42,433
9	New Hampshire	$40,965
10	Oregon	$43,210
11	Vermont	$37,962
12	New York	$39,140
13	Montana	$42,384
14	California	$37,995
15	Colorado	$35,911
16	Wisconsin	$35,506
17	West Virginia	$35,424
18	Alaska	$40,667
19	Nevada	$33,244
20	Illinois	$36,301
21	Idaho	$31,687
22	Delaware	$33,566
23	Maryland	$33,643
24	Arkansas	$33,519
25	Virginia	$33,526
26	Pennsylvania	$33,888
27	Wyoming	$35,301
28	Indiana	$34,489
29	South Dakota	$33,058
30	New Jersey	$33,672
31	New Mexico	$31,332
32	Arizona	$30,227
33	Utah	$33,269
34	Alabama	$28,844
35	Ohio	$32,187
36	South Carolina	$31,669
37	Hawaii	$29,589
38	Florida	$28,056
39	Texas	$31,342
40	Michigan	$31,882
41	Iowa	$28,796
42	District of Columbia	$33,337
43	Missouri	$28,642
44	Georgia	$27,015
45	Kentucky	$28,361
46	Nebraska	$26,704
47	North Carolina	$28,089
48	Louisiana	$23,613
49	Tennessee	$24,939
50	Oklahoma	$22,327
51	Kansas	$24,693

Best states for a patrol officer

10 best states for patrol officers in 2025

1. North Dakota

2. Connecticut

3. Washington

4. Minnesota

5. Mississippi

6. Rhode Island

7. Maine

8. Massachusetts

9. New Hampshire

10. Oregon

Patrol officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a patrol officer

Detailed list of the best states for a patrol officer

Highest paying states for patrol officers

Patrol officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for patrol officers?

What is the highest paying state for patrol officers?

What is the worst state for patrol officers?

Search for patrol officer jobs

Total patrol officer jobs:	132
Average annual salary:	$50,862
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$40,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$64,000
Location Quotient:	1.07