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Best states for a police officer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like police officers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for police officers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for police officers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for police officer jobs.
In order to get you the best states for police officers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that California is the best state for police officer jobs, whereas Alabama is the worst.
10 best states for police officers in 2026
1. California
Total police officer jobs: 5,849 Average annual salary: $67,408 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
2. Washington
Total police officer jobs: 1,131 Average annual salary: $73,316 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1
3. Oregon
Total police officer jobs: 631 Average annual salary: $70,488 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
4. Nevada
Total police officer jobs: 385 Average annual salary: $56,042 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
5. Colorado
Total police officer jobs: 917 Average annual salary: $61,400 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
6. Minnesota
Total police officer jobs: 1,083 Average annual salary: $59,433 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
7. North Dakota
Total police officer jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $62,265 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
8. Alaska
Total police officer jobs: 92 Average annual salary: $78,839 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
9. Vermont
Total police officer jobs: 98 Average annual salary: $60,112 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
10. New York
Total police officer jobs: 2,353 Average annual salary: $55,639 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
Police officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a police officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a police officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $67,408 | $49,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,849 |
| 2 | Washington | $73,316 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,131 |
| 3 | Oregon | $70,488 | $55,000 | 4,142,776 | 631 |
| 4 | Nevada | $56,042 | $41,000 | 2,998,039 | 385 |
| 5 | Colorado | $61,400 | $49,000 | 5,607,154 | 917 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $59,433 | $48,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,083 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $62,265 | $51,000 | 755,393 | 138 |
| 8 | Alaska | $78,839 | $70,000 | 739,795 | 92 |
| 9 | Vermont | $60,112 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 98 |
| 10 | New York | $55,639 | $41,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,353 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $60,266 | $45,000 | 3,588,184 | 429 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $56,693 | $42,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,393 |
| 13 | Ohio | $50,537 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,784 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $52,850 | $39,000 | 1,059,639 | 206 |
| 15 | Maryland | $56,143 | $42,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,059 |
| 16 | Illinois | $56,211 | $44,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,759 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $55,401 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,303 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $51,430 | $41,000 | 5,795,483 | 864 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $49,726 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 410 |
| 20 | Idaho | $49,067 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 349 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $48,782 | $36,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,106 |
| 22 | Arizona | $50,130 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 961 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $54,894 | $44,000 | 579,315 | 38 |
| 24 | Michigan | $50,274 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,153 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $60,393 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 140 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $50,646 | $38,000 | 1,342,795 | 237 |
| 27 | Iowa | $50,441 | $40,000 | 3,145,711 | 447 |
| 28 | Missouri | $43,930 | $34,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,058 |
| 29 | Utah | $49,292 | $38,000 | 3,101,833 | 418 |
| 30 | Montana | $50,478 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 113 |
| 31 | Texas | $48,083 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,541 |
| 32 | Delaware | $50,191 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 141 |
| 33 | Virginia | $42,314 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,699 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $37,638 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 759 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $42,590 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 300 |
| 36 | Indiana | $43,189 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 892 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $45,256 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 123 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $36,849 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 507 |
| 39 | Maine | $41,492 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 177 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $40,510 | $34,000 | 1,427,538 | 133 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $42,308 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 178 |
| 42 | Florida | $43,231 | $31,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,878 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $36,744 | $28,000 | 6,715,984 | 808 |
| 44 | Georgia | $35,626 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,459 |
| 45 | Kansas | $39,151 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 316 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $30,822 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 338 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $36,157 | $27,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,257 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $31,955 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 366 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $33,047 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 419 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $33,558 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 564 |
| 51 | Alabama | $31,858 | $23,000 | 4,874,747 | 555 |
Highest paying states for police officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Police Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $67,408 |
| 2 | Washington | $73,316 |
| 3 | Oregon | $70,488 |
| 4 | Nevada | $56,042 |
| 5 | Colorado | $61,400 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $59,433 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $62,265 |
| 8 | Alaska | $78,839 |
| 9 | Vermont | $60,112 |
| 10 | New York | $55,639 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $60,266 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $56,693 |
| 13 | Ohio | $50,537 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $52,850 |
| 15 | Maryland | $56,143 |
| 16 | Illinois | $56,211 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $55,401 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $51,430 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $49,726 |
| 20 | Idaho | $49,067 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $48,782 |
| 22 | Arizona | $50,130 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $54,894 |
| 24 | Michigan | $50,274 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $60,393 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $50,646 |
| 27 | Iowa | $50,441 |
| 28 | Missouri | $43,930 |
| 29 | Utah | $49,292 |
| 30 | Montana | $50,478 |
| 31 | Texas | $48,083 |
| 32 | Delaware | $50,191 |
| 33 | Virginia | $42,314 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $37,638 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $42,590 |
| 36 | Indiana | $43,189 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $45,256 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $36,849 |
| 39 | Maine | $41,492 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $40,510 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $42,308 |
| 42 | Florida | $43,231 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $36,744 |
| 44 | Georgia | $35,626 |
| 45 | Kansas | $39,151 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $30,822 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $36,157 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $31,955 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $33,047 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $33,558 |
| 51 | Alabama | $31,858 |
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Updated January 8, 2025