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The differences between police sergeants and officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police sergeant has an average salary of $65,562, which is higher than the $52,506 average annual salary of an officer.
The top three skills for a police sergeant include patrol, public safety and emergency situations. The most important skills for an officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Police Sergeant | Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,562 | $52,506 |
| Hourly rate | $31.52 | $25.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,493 | 114,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Police Sergeant is responsible for supervising patrol officers and agents, as assigned. They oversee and assess the performance of subordinates, such as disciplinary actions, continued training, and counseling.
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
Police sergeants and officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Sergeant | Officer | |
| Average salary | $65,562 | $52,506 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $89,000 | Between $26,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Cruz, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Loyola University Maryland | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a police sergeant and an officer in terms of educational background:
| Police Sergeant | Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | - |
Here are the differences between police sergeants' and officers' demographics:
| Police Sergeant | Officer | |
| Average age | 46 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |