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Best states for a police lieutenant
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for police lieutenants? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for police lieutenant jobs.Our research shows that Nevada is the best state in the country for police lieutenants.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for police lieutenants.If you are currently seeking employment as a police lieutenant, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for police lieutenants in 2025
1. Nevada
Total police lieutenant jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $79,562 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
2. Washington
Total police lieutenant jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $101,736 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
3. California
Total police lieutenant jobs: 320 Average annual salary: $86,976 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
4. Idaho
Total police lieutenant jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $96,568 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
5. Ohio
Total police lieutenant jobs: 95 Average annual salary: $74,284 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
6. Maine
Total police lieutenant jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $88,319 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
7. New Mexico
Total police lieutenant jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $70,789 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.69
8. West Virginia
Total police lieutenant jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $74,126 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
9. Oregon
Total police lieutenant jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $78,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
10. District of Columbia
Total police lieutenant jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $73,972 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
Police lieutenant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a police lieutenant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a police lieutenant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $79,562 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 25 |
| 2 | Washington | $101,736 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 58 |
| 3 | California | $86,976 | $60,000 | 39,536,653 | 320 |
| 4 | Idaho | $96,568 | $66,000 | 1,716,943 | 11 |
| 5 | Ohio | $74,284 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 95 |
| 6 | Maine | $88,319 | $65,000 | 1,335,907 | 9 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $70,789 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 24 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $74,126 | $53,000 | 1,815,857 | 9 |
| 9 | Oregon | $78,063 | $54,000 | 4,142,776 | 22 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $73,972 | $53,000 | 693,972 | 22 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $72,604 | $52,000 | 4,454,189 | 21 |
| 12 | Colorado | $72,328 | $51,000 | 5,607,154 | 45 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $69,960 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 8 |
| 14 | Texas | $68,366 | $48,000 | 28,304,596 | 156 |
| 15 | New York | $75,190 | $54,000 | 19,849,399 | 49 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $63,212 | $45,000 | 6,715,984 | 53 |
| 17 | Utah | $67,305 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 24 |
| 18 | Arizona | $67,200 | $47,000 | 7,016,270 | 45 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $69,805 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 9 |
| 20 | Michigan | $66,116 | $48,000 | 9,962,311 | 40 |
| 21 | Kansas | $65,920 | $47,000 | 2,913,123 | 18 |
| 22 | Iowa | $66,606 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 15 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $62,370 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 82 |
| 24 | Georgia | $63,200 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 84 |
| 25 | Virginia | $62,726 | $45,000 | 8,470,020 | 114 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $72,039 | $52,000 | 9,005,644 | 16 |
| 27 | Delaware | $68,356 | $49,000 | 961,939 | 6 |
| 28 | Alaska | $58,358 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 26 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $65,924 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 44 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $62,185 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 24 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $69,625 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 12 |
| 32 | Illinois | $68,104 | $49,000 | 12,802,023 | 25 |
| 33 | Missouri | $58,111 | $42,000 | 6,113,532 | 53 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,417 | $43,000 | 4,874,747 | 23 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $58,417 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 17 |
| 36 | Florida | $61,260 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 100 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,581 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 18 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $61,946 | $43,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $58,661 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 40 | Montana | $49,119 | $34,000 | 1,050,493 | 22 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $62,113 | $45,000 | 5,576,606 | 30 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $49,634 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 14 |
| 43 | Maryland | $48,126 | $35,000 | 6,052,177 | 67 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $46,216 | $32,000 | 4,684,333 | 30 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $45,729 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 48 |
| 46 | Indiana | $48,760 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 40 |
| 47 | Massachusetts | $49,703 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 50 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $48,527 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 12 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $49,168 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 25 |
| 50 | Vermont | $49,309 | $36,000 | 623,657 | 3 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $44,848 | $32,000 | 869,666 | 2 |
Highest paying states for police lieutenants
| Rank | State | Avg. Police Lieutenant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $79,562 |
| 2 | Washington | $101,736 |
| 3 | California | $86,976 |
| 4 | Idaho | $96,568 |
| 5 | Ohio | $74,284 |
| 6 | Maine | $88,319 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $70,789 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $74,126 |
| 9 | Oregon | $78,063 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $73,972 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $72,604 |
| 12 | Colorado | $72,328 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $69,960 |
| 14 | Texas | $68,366 |
| 15 | New York | $75,190 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $63,212 |
| 17 | Utah | $67,305 |
| 18 | Arizona | $67,200 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $69,805 |
| 20 | Michigan | $66,116 |
| 21 | Kansas | $65,920 |
| 22 | Iowa | $66,606 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $62,370 |
| 24 | Georgia | $63,200 |
| 25 | Virginia | $62,726 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $72,039 |
| 27 | Delaware | $68,356 |
| 28 | Alaska | $58,358 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $65,924 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $62,185 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $69,625 |
| 32 | Illinois | $68,104 |
| 33 | Missouri | $58,111 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,417 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $58,417 |
| 36 | Florida | $61,260 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,581 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $61,946 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $58,661 |
| 40 | Montana | $49,119 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $62,113 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $49,634 |
| 43 | Maryland | $48,126 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $46,216 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $45,729 |
| 46 | Indiana | $48,760 |
| 47 | Massachusetts | $49,703 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $48,527 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $49,168 |
| 50 | Vermont | $49,309 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $44,848 |
Police lieutenant best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025