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Best states for a police cadet
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a police cadet and really want to work at City of New York? Turns out, your chances to become a police cadet are better in some states than others.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for police cadet jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for police cadets. Alaska is the best state for police cadets, where the median salary is $58,423.Alaska is the best state, and Fairbanks is the city with the highest pay for police cadets.
10 best states for police cadets in 2026
1. Alaska
Total police cadet jobs: 47 Average annual salary: $58,423 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
2. Washington
Total police cadet jobs: 280 Average annual salary: $56,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
3. Connecticut
Total police cadet jobs: 139 Average annual salary: $46,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
4. Texas
Total police cadet jobs: 685 Average annual salary: $41,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
5. Ohio
Total police cadet jobs: 329 Average annual salary: $42,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
6. North Dakota
Total police cadet jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $53,772 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
7. Illinois
Total police cadet jobs: 264 Average annual salary: $50,678 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
8. Hawaii
Total police cadet jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $44,162 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.74
9. Colorado
Total police cadet jobs: 256 Average annual salary: $40,732 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
10. Montana
Total police cadet jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $38,853 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
Police cadet jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a police cadet
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a police cadet
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $58,423 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 47 |
| 2 | Washington | $56,695 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 280 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $46,557 | $31,000 | 3,588,184 | 139 |
| 4 | Texas | $41,825 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 685 |
| 5 | Ohio | $42,074 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 329 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $53,772 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 20 |
| 7 | Illinois | $50,678 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 264 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $44,162 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 49 |
| 9 | Colorado | $40,732 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 256 |
| 10 | Montana | $38,853 | $31,000 | 1,050,493 | 57 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $41,700 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 54 |
| 12 | Oregon | $44,055 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 118 |
| 13 | New York | $40,823 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 486 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $40,881 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 54 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $39,760 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 306 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $39,209 | $26,000 | 1,059,639 | 38 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $42,474 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 154 |
| 18 | Iowa | $41,631 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 70 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $38,881 | $27,000 | 693,972 | 78 |
| 20 | California | $38,393 | $28,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,391 |
| 21 | Nevada | $36,038 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 83 |
| 22 | Utah | $37,989 | $29,000 | 3,101,833 | 97 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $38,630 | $26,000 | 9,005,644 | 251 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $37,545 | $27,000 | 1,815,857 | 36 |
| 25 | Michigan | $37,257 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 209 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $39,601 | $26,000 | 6,859,819 | 244 |
| 27 | Maryland | $37,061 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 279 |
| 28 | Delaware | $34,340 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 65 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $34,567 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 21 |
| 30 | Vermont | $39,364 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 13 |
| 31 | Indiana | $38,298 | $28,000 | 6,666,818 | 119 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $35,809 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 64 |
| 33 | Arizona | $35,285 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 205 |
| 34 | Idaho | $33,379 | $26,000 | 1,716,943 | 49 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $31,073 | $23,000 | 2,088,070 | 78 |
| 36 | Maine | $35,626 | $25,000 | 1,335,907 | 30 |
| 37 | Florida | $30,271 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 684 |
| 38 | Missouri | $33,268 | $24,000 | 6,113,532 | 175 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $32,092 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 162 |
| 40 | Alabama | $30,234 | $22,000 | 4,874,747 | 146 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $33,074 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 15 |
| 42 | Virginia | $29,114 | $20,000 | 8,470,020 | 345 |
| 43 | Georgia | $27,552 | $20,000 | 10,429,379 | 431 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $29,891 | $22,000 | 3,930,864 | 89 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $26,923 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 118 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $26,559 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 147 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $28,801 | $21,000 | 4,454,189 | 74 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $27,772 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 66 |
| 49 | Kansas | $28,738 | $21,000 | 2,913,123 | 61 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $28,274 | $20,000 | 10,273,419 | 212 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $25,997 | $19,000 | 6,715,984 | 150 |
Highest paying states for police cadets
| Rank | State | Avg. Police Cadet Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $58,423 |
| 2 | Washington | $56,695 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $46,557 |
| 4 | Texas | $41,825 |
| 5 | Ohio | $42,074 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $53,772 |
| 7 | Illinois | $50,678 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $44,162 |
| 9 | Colorado | $40,732 |
| 10 | Montana | $38,853 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $41,700 |
| 12 | Oregon | $44,055 |
| 13 | New York | $40,823 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $40,881 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $39,760 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $39,209 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $42,474 |
| 18 | Iowa | $41,631 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $38,881 |
| 20 | California | $38,393 |
| 21 | Nevada | $36,038 |
| 22 | Utah | $37,989 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $38,630 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $37,545 |
| 25 | Michigan | $37,257 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $39,601 |
| 27 | Maryland | $37,061 |
| 28 | Delaware | $34,340 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $34,567 |
| 30 | Vermont | $39,364 |
| 31 | Indiana | $38,298 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $35,809 |
| 33 | Arizona | $35,285 |
| 34 | Idaho | $33,379 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $31,073 |
| 36 | Maine | $35,626 |
| 37 | Florida | $30,271 |
| 38 | Missouri | $33,268 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $32,092 |
| 40 | Alabama | $30,234 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $33,074 |
| 42 | Virginia | $29,114 |
| 43 | Georgia | $27,552 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $29,891 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $26,923 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $26,559 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $28,801 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $27,772 |
| 49 | Kansas | $28,738 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $28,274 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $25,997 |
Police cadet best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025