How much does a police officer make?

The average police officer salary in the United States is $52,638. Police officer salaries typically range between $38,000 and $71,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for police officers is $25.31 per hour. Police officer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Police officers earn the highest average salary in Alaska.

Police officer salary

Q: What state pays Police Officers the most?

Alaska pays Police Officers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $78,839 per year, or $37.90 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a police officer?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a police officer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Washington you should be paid close to $73,316 per year.

Q: How many vacation days do police get?

The number of vacation days police officers get can vary greatly, but on average, they receive between 10 to 15 days of vacation annually. Typically, the number given is based on years of service and the specific policies of the department.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Police Officer?

A good starting salary for a police officer is $35,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a police officer in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for police officers is $48,353, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a police officer can vary by state.

Q: Do police officers get paid well?

Yes, police officers can get paid well. On average, they make $47,000 yearly (about $3,997 monthly or $23 hourly). As most jobs go, factors like location and experience can determine your exact pay. On the lower end of the salary range, they can make about $35,000, typically for entry-level positions or low-paying states like Kansas and Missouri. On the higher end, they can earn more than $64,000.

Q: What is the highest-paid law enforcement job?

The highest-paid law enforcement job is a judge. Judges in the United States have an average salary of $170,000 per year. Other law enforcement positions with high average annual salaries include:

Average police officer salary

$52,638

$25.31 hourly rate

Entry-level police officer salary

$38,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Police Officer Salaries

The average salary for a police officer is approximately $52,638 per year, equating to around $25 per hour. Salary can vary significantly based on factors such as location, experience, and specialization.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level police officers typically earn less than their more experienced counterparts. As officers gain experience and take on additional responsibilities, their salaries increase. Officers with advanced training or specialized roles, such as detectives, often command higher salaries.

Top-Paying States

States like California, New York, and Texas generally offer higher salaries for police officers compared to other regions. This variation is influenced by the cost of living, demand for law enforcement, and local government budgets.

Job Opportunities

For those considering a career in law enforcement, job opportunities are expected to grow. Understanding salary expectations in different regions can help candidates target their job searches effectively. Resources like Zippia provide valuable insights into salary trends, allowing potential police officers to make informed career choices.

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Police officer salary by:

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Where can a Police Officer earn more?

Compare salary by location

92k

72k

52k

32k

12k

Columbus, OH$78,724

Richmond, VA$42,223

Compare salary by company

99k

79k

59k

39k

Icma-rc$87,848

City of Sunny Isles Beach$69,041

Police officer salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level police officer	$41,500	$19.96
Mid-level police officer	$54,900	$26.40
Senior-level police officer	$66,800	$32.09

Police officer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably, Payscale and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a police officer typically falls between $31,965 and $89,701.

zippia

$52,638yearly

glassdoor[1]

$67,564yearly

indeed[2]

$31,965yearly

comparably[3]

$89,701yearly

Salary.com[4]

$63,800yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$68,000yearly

payscale[6]

$60,719yearly

SalaryExpert[7]

$53,141yearly

CareerExplorer[8]

$64,610yearly

Average police officer salary by state

The highest-paying states for police officers are Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average police officer salary states are Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for police officers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$67,408	$32.41
2	Washington	$73,316	$35.25
3	Oregon	$70,488	$33.89
4	Nevada	$56,042	$26.94
5	Colorado	$61,400	$29.52
6	Minnesota	$59,433	$28.57
7	North Dakota	$62,265	$29.94
8	Alaska	$78,839	$37.90
9	Vermont	$60,112	$28.90
10	New York	$55,639	$26.75
11	Connecticut	$60,266	$28.97
12	Massachusetts	$56,693	$27.26
13	Ohio	$50,537	$24.30
14	Rhode Island	$52,850	$25.41
15	Maryland	$56,143	$26.99
16	Illinois	$56,211	$27.02
17	New Jersey	$55,401	$26.64
18	Wisconsin	$51,430	$24.73
19	Nebraska	$49,726	$23.91
20	Idaho	$49,067	$23.59
21	Pennsylvania	$48,782	$23.45
22	Arizona	$50,130	$24.10
23	Wyoming	$54,894	$26.39
24	Michigan	$50,274	$24.17
25	District of Columbia	$60,393	$29.04
26	New Hampshire	$50,646	$24.35
27	Iowa	$50,441	$24.25
28	Missouri	$43,930	$21.12
29	Utah	$49,292	$23.70
30	Montana	$50,478	$24.27
31	Texas	$48,083	$23.12
32	Delaware	$50,191	$24.13
33	Virginia	$42,314	$20.34
34	Kentucky	$37,638	$18.10
35	New Mexico	$42,590	$20.48
36	Indiana	$43,189	$20.76
37	South Dakota	$45,256	$21.76
38	Oklahoma	$36,849	$17.72
39	Maine	$41,492	$19.95
40	Hawaii	$40,510	$19.48
41	West Virginia	$42,308	$20.34
42	Florida	$43,231	$20.78
43	Tennessee	$36,744	$17.67
44	Georgia	$35,626	$17.13
45	Kansas	$39,151	$18.82
46	Mississippi	$30,822	$14.82
47	North Carolina	$36,157	$17.38
48	Arkansas	$31,955	$15.36
49	Louisiana	$33,047	$15.89
50	South Carolina	$33,558	$16.13
51	Alabama	$31,858	$15.32

Top police officer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for police officers

The highest-paying cities for police officers are Anchorage, AK, Bellingham, WA, and Richmond, CA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Anchorage, AK	$78,724	$37.85
2	Bellingham, WA	$74,409	$35.77
3	Richmond, CA	$73,569	$35.37
4	Eugene, OR	$70,639	$33.96
5	Boulder, CO	$61,857	$29.74
6	Washington, DC	$60,406	$29.04
7	Minneapolis, MN	$59,394	$28.55
8	Boston, MA	$56,736	$27.28
9	Baltimore, MD	$56,506	$27.17
10	Chicago, IL	$56,366	$27.10
11	Las Vegas, NV	$55,281	$26.58
12	Yuma, AZ	$51,096	$24.57
13	Ann Arbor, MI	$50,015	$24.05
14	Salt Lake City, UT	$49,427	$23.76
15	Fort Worth, TX	$47,886	$23.02
16	Pittsburgh, PA	$47,555	$22.86
17	Kansas City, MO	$44,501	$21.39
18	Boynton Beach, FL	$42,936	$20.64
19	Albuquerque, NM	$42,834	$20.59
20	Richmond, VA	$42,223	$20.30

Police Officers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Police officer salary details

A police officer's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $71,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average police officer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a police officer's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$71,000	$5,917	$34
75th Percentile	$61,000	$5,083	$29
Average	$52,638	$4,387	$25
25th Percentile	$44,000	$3,667	$21
10th Percentile	$38,000	$3,167	$18

Highest paying police officer jobs

The highest paying types of police officers are police sergeant, detective, and criminal investigator.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Deputy	$53,682	$4,473	$25.81	56,150
Criminal Investigator	$54,520	$4,543	$26.21	5,131
Loss Prevention Analyst	$38,684	$3,224	$18.60	62,658
Loss Prevention Agent	$36,455	$3,038	$17.53	103,534
Detective	$57,984	$4,832	$27.88	56,521
Deputy Sheriff	$50,143	$4,179	$24.11	65,303

Top companies hiring police officers now:

Which companies pay police officers the most?

Police officer salaries at Icma-rc and The Midland Group are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average police officer salary at companies like University of California, Berkeley and University of Alaska are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Icma-rc	$87,848	$42.23
2	The Midland Group	$76,892	$36.97
3	University of California-Berkeley	$70,970	$34.12
4	University of Alaska	$69,960	$33.63
5	City of Benicia	$69,952	$33.63
6	1 8 3 Lanes	$69,925	$33.62
7	Ontario City Library	$69,885	$33.60
8	City of Largo	$69,867	$33.59
9	City of Downey	$69,845	$33.58
10	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$69,689	$33.50
11	City of Coronado	$69,672	$33.50
12	City of Riverside	$69,594	$33.46
13	City of Mountain View	$69,536	$33.43
14	City of Pleasanton	$69,467	$33.40
15	Sandia Resort & Casino	$69,385	$33.36
16	City Of San Mateo	$69,355	$33.34
17	City of Bellaire	$69,249	$33.29
18	City of Scottsdale	$69,246	$33.29
19	City of Roseville Michigan	$69,150	$33.25
20	City of Sunny Isles Beach	$69,041	$33.19

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$55,000$54,200$53,400$52,600$51,800$51,000

MaleFemale

Police officer salary trends

The average police officer salary has risen by $9,084 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average police officer earned $43,554 annually, but today, they earn $52,638 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for police officers over the last decade.

Compare police officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average police officer salary over time

Compare police officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Police officer salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$52,600	$25.31	+3.6%
2024	$50,700	$24.38	+2.8%
2023	$49,300	$23.70	+0.5%
2022	$49,000	$23.57	+2.2%
2021	$47,900	$23.04	+2.3%

Recently added police officer salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
University of Arkansas	Police Officer (Current and Anticipated Future Openings)	Fayetteville, NC	06/30/2025	$50,400
University of Arkansas	University Police Officer	Bono, AR	06/30/2025	$40,000
University of Arkansas	University Police Officer	Campus, IL	06/30/2025	$45,320
The University of Chicago	Police Officer II, Non-Certified	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$75,132
City of Gainesville	Police Officer	Gainesville, FL	06/30/2025	$60,210
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco	Frleo-Police Officer	Salt Lake City, UT	06/30/2025	$66,500
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco	Frleo-Police Officer	San Francisco, CA	06/30/2025	$84,300
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco	Frleo-Police Officer	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$76,000
Appalachian State University	Police Officer I	Boone, NC	06/30/2025	$56,712
College of Southern Nevada	University Police Officer 2, University Police Services	Las Vegas, NV	06/30/2025	$80,764