Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Police sergeant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected police sergeant job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for police sergeants are projected over the next decade.
Police sergeant salaries have increased 10% for police sergeants in the last 5 years.
There are over 13,239 police sergeants currently employed in the United States.
There are 81,493 active police sergeant job openings in the US.
The average police sergeant salary is $65,562.
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13,239 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 12,834 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 12,891 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 12,615 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 12,032 | 0.00% |
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,562 | $31.52 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $64,237 | $30.88 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $62,784 | $30.18 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $61,994 | $29.80 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | $59,829 | $28.76 | +3.3% |
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 73 | 11% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 71 | 7% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 65 | 7% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 49 | 7% |
| 5 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 538 | 5% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 286 | 5% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 339 | 4% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 317 | 4% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 287 | 4% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 270 | 4% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 248 | 4% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 217 | 4% |
| 13 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 176 | 4% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 129 | 4% |
| 15 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 92 | 4% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 78 | 4% |
| 17 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 56 | 4% |
| 18 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 55 | 4% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 41 | 4% |
| 20 | New York | 19,849,399 | 590 | 3% |
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windham | 1 | 4% | $66,600 |
| 2 | Lawrence | 1 | 1% | $64,145 |
| 3 | Baltimore | 3 | 0% | $46,825 |
| 4 | Charlotte | 2 | 0% | $59,567 |
| 5 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $69,869 |
| 6 | Washington | 1 | 0% | $65,722 |
University of Georgia
Governors State University
Murray State University

Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg

Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University

Curry College
La Sierra University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
Jill Myers: Law Enforcement is a much needed and distinguished profession. Going into the field you need a thorough background in the criminal justice system, state and federal, a working knowledge of the laws and Constitutional dictates, and the ability to communicate well both verbally and in writing. The job requires the ability to not just talk the part, but to critically think and apply the skills learned in the classrooms with real people in real situations. You will need to start the job with the ability to be a hero, to respond to real events on perhaps the worst days of someone's life. The job requires knowledge, ethical conduct, and compassion for everyone, even those who have committed unlawful actions.
Jill Myers: I believe that knowledge of the legal limits of technology usage will increase dramatically over the next few years and decades. There are few crimes that do not involve investigations impacted by technological and cyber transactions. The ability to conduct cyber investigations, not computer programing or computer systems security per se, will increase the success of an investigation. Additionally, as disasters are increasing more frequently than ever before, both natural disasters (tornadoes, floods, fires, biological like COVID) and human made ones (mass shootings, war, terrorism), all of public safety must understand emergency management protocols, NIMS, hazmat responses, search and rescue, etc.
Dr. Latarcia Barnes PhD: Federal law enforcement is a great profession to enter. There is retirement after 20 years, great career advancement, and great benefits
Dr. Latarcia Barnes PhD: This question is difficult to answer because in federal law enforcement, there are different jobs a person can have. The underlying theme is to enforce the laws that the federal government has and to enforce the judgement of a federal judge.
Dr. Latarcia Barnes PhD: All skills can be beneficial in the criminal justice field because agencies are expanding job skills and qualifications to meet the changing needs of the world in relation to criminal justice. Many employed in this field hold degrees other than criminal justice. Federal criminal justice agencies are recruiting other majors because of those skill sets they possess. For example, accountants are being recruited for forensic accounting. Therefore with criminal justice majors, it is beneficial to make oneself more marketable by having a minor in another discipline.
Todd Krohn: I think internship experience prior to applying maximizes your salary potential, as well as compiling a list of relevant volunteer experiences, and keeping a clean record. Every agency is going to run background checks, and increasingly many are running credit checks as well. A clean record going in definitely makes you a more marketable candidate.
Todd Krohn: Critical thinking skills, without a doubt. The ability to think critically and exercise discretion and awareness in this field are immeasurable, no matter whether you're in law enforcement, the courts, or corrections. With so many job openings currently, particularly in the correctional world, smart students with critical thinking skills are going be snapped up and promoted quickly. As well, work on your writing skills. The ability to communicate in writing is probably one of the most overlooked skills necessary to be successful in CJ.
Todd Krohn: I would definitely think about doing an internship before you graduate. For many students going into law enforcement or probation and parole, getting an internship while still in school could potentially lead to your first job offer. For those going into the legal world of prosecution or defense, internships in those worlds before law school will help you confirm those are the areas you want to study. Basically, any CJ graduate would benefit from doing an internship, dependent upon the area of the CJ system they are thinking about working in. While most of these are going to be unpaid in the CJ system, the benefits they carry later more than pay off the experience.
Governors State University
Criminal Justice And Corrections
Dr. Janet Brewer: Market yourself as someone who can increase revenue or decrease workload for that entity. Use your school's alumni network to its fullest.
Dr. Janet Brewer: In law enforcement, leadership, critical thinking and novel problem-solving skills are going to be of paramount importance. This is because the world is becoming increasingly complex, as we learned during the pandemic, demanding that people are able to think outside the box, and quickly. Within the court system, I think interdisciplinary skill sets will be important as therapeutic and restorative justice interventions continue to flourish. For example, increasingly, diversion programs and specialty courts are calling for skill sets in mental health, law, and public policy simultaneously.
Dr. Alaina Steele: In many criminal justice positions, salaries and benefits are fixed or graded on state or federal pay scales. There's often little room for negotiation in terms of compensation for each role, so the best way to maximize salary potential is to move up the ranks into positions at a higher pay grade. Look into the criteria for promotion early on in your career, read through job descriptions for higher-level roles you want, and use the role you play in your current position to build the knowledge, skills, and abilities you will need to meet the requirements for that role and to succeed in the promotion process.
Dr. Alaina Steele: People go into the criminal justice field for many different reasons, so be proactive in making sure your employer will provide a suitable work environment and the right kinds of support/development for you to be the type of criminal justice professional you want to be. When applying for jobs, remember that you are interviewing agencies at the same time they are interviewing you. Ask questions that provide you with insight on the things you're looking for in an employer. If possible, talk to people who work or have worked there to find out what they love(d) about their job and colleagues and what they would change. Search online for what an agency's clients or the people who live in the communities they serve have to say about their experiences and recent encounters with the criminal justice professionals at that agency. Take the time to consider if what you find in your research is something that aligns with your personal values and career goals.
Dr. Alaina Steele: Emotionally intelligent communication skills are vital in the criminal justice field. Roles in law enforcement, courts, and corrections all require the ability to successfully interact with community members in their most vulnerable and challenging moments. "Strong oral and written communication skills" has long been an essential job requirement in postings for CJ positions, but the ways in which people communicate-and how conflicts arise-are constantly changing. Tools for de-escalation and problem solving must evolve alongside them, requiring criminal justice professionals to be lifelong students of human behavior. Adaptability in communication style is especially crucial when working with members of marginalized populations that may have cultural, intellectual, or neurodevelopmental differences in the ways they give and receive information. The other thing is the ability to navigate technology. With the rapid expansion of AI across all sectors of society and unprecedented questions of privacy, legality, and the potential for malicious use following close behind, new challenges will require attention from legal professionals. Criminal justice actors will also need to be able to ethically evaluate and responsibly use the new and changing tools available to them in their own day-to-day work.
James Gibbens: Good Morning Alex, I am the Director of the Brevard Police Testing Center here at EFSC. While I am not an instructor or professor here at EFSC I have been an adjunct professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL since 2009 teaching Criminal Justice courses under the umbrella of the Psychology/Homeland Security Department. Prior to that I retired after 30 years from the Melbourne Police Department. If you want to send me some questions I can answer them.
James Gibbens: Alex, See attached answers to the three questions below.
James Gibbens: Mr. Johnson, Good Morning, Our Law Enforcement/Corrections instructors are, for the most part, active law enforcement officers working in the field or recently retired from the industry. We have no full-time instructors/professors teaching in the Law Enforcement Academies. Most of our students are sponsored and employed when the Academy starts so there is little to no recruitment, everyone is paid to attend class. Brevard County has a number of Law Enforcement agencies. My suggestion is to contact one of the agencies and speak with their Human Resource Department. Locally, in today's employment climate there are many employment opportunities in the Public Safety Sectors.

Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills

Georgia Southern University
Criminal Justice and Criminology Department
Logan Somers Ph.D.: Skills and experiences that stand out on Law Enforcement Officer resumes are not too dissimilar from desirable qualities in other industries. First, even though the vast majority of police departments do not have an education requirement beyond high school, most recruits entering the academy do have at least some college experience. Therefore, having an associate's or bachelor's degree will make you competitive. Further, policing in today's society requires officers to be elite communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers. Any prior work experience that can be used to demonstrate how you performed those skills under pressure should be highlighted. Lastly, any prior community service and or mentoring should be included. Having these experiences displays your commitment to improving your community and bettering the lives of those around you.
Logan Somers Ph.D.: Officers are tasked with handling a wide range of service-oriented (e.g., providing directions, conducting wellness checks, assisting a citizen whose car has broken down) and order maintenance (e.g., attending to noise complaints, settling domestic disputes, directing traffic) duties that go beyond just crime enforcement. This necessitates that an officer must possess numerous intangible skills. These include the ability to communicate effectively and treat citizens in a respectful and courteous manner. Doing this will go a long way towards keeping situations from escalating and building positive community relationships. Officers also have a great deal of discretion, meaning that in most citizen interactions, they have numerous actions and inactions that they can choose from. For example, officers conducting traffic enforcement typically have the discretion to decide who to stop, where to stop them, and whether to give a citation or a warning. Given this great deal of power, having the ability to think critically and ethically are paramount.
Logan Somers Ph.D.: A significant portion of an officer's day can often be spent filling out paperwork. Every stop, citation, warrant, arrest, or use of force incident typically requires forms that need to be filled out and sent to supervisors for review. This makes the ability to write proficiently and provide a descriptive narrative of events crucial for day-to-day police work.
Logan Somers Ph.D.: Most police organizations follow a bureaucratic, hierarchical model that has many layers of management and specialized units. Though the complexity of this hierarchy varies slightly from department to department, it is nearly universal that all sworn officers begin their careers on patrol. From there, departments often have Civil Service procedures that dictate the minimum requirements necessary for an officer to advance within the department. This usually entails a mandate that an officer must spend between 2 and 5 years on patrol before they are eligible to apply to a supervisory rank or specialized unit. A few ways in which officers can build skills during that time that will help them be competitive when seeking promotions is to continue both their formal education and take increased in-service training. Also, obtaining good performance evaluations is typically vital for advancement.

Georgia Southern University
Criminal Justice & Criminology
Amanda Graham Ph.D.: Completed Degree - Although not required for most departments around the country, the completion of a higher-ed degree in any subject signals to hiring committees that the applicant is (1) seeking to improve themselves, (2) open to learning new things, and (3) capable of finishing a goal that they set out to reach.
A second language - Particularly for candidates that speak Spanish fluently, the ability to speak a second language is of increasing importance as communities around the country continue to diversify.
Amanda Graham Ph.D.: Verbal Communication - The ability to talk to/hold a conversation with a stranger is essential in the human enterprise of policing. It is one of the best tools and officer has with them to address any situation.
Ethical Decision-Making (Using Discretion Appropriately) - The ability to make the best decision in a given situation is absolutely critical in policing. Not only do officers need to have sound and logical judgment, but also the capacity to make ethically sound decisions helps to prevent the introduction of bias into the criminal justice system.
Amanda Graham Ph.D.: Written Communication/Writing/English - Policing heavily involves being able to articulate your ideas in writing, especially for writing reports and warrants. These documents demand officers provide their probable cause for a case; without this capacity, cases can be dropped and warrant applications unsuccessful.
Amanda Graham Ph.D.: Although pay is often determined through Civil Service Boards/Commissions and Police Unions, earning potential can be increased through the completion of higher-ed degrees (e.g., Bachelors, Masters), the ability to speak a second language, and the willingness/ability to work during less-conventional hours (i.e., overnight shifts often receive additional pay/shift differential) or additional hours (i.e., overtime).
Jennifer Balboni: Yes! Without question, over the last year, the pandemic has impacted nearly every occupation around the globe. These effects were felt most keenly in the medical field, but the impact in the criminal justice field has been incredibly steep as well, and the changes for police, courts, and corrections promise to be around even once this pandemic is more under control. First, it's important to note that police professionals are currently managing twin crises: the pandemic and public tumult stemming from a series of well-publicized needless deaths of young African Americans at the hands of police. It's nearly impossible to disentangle the impact of the pandemic from the impact of the crisis of legitimacy in policing, as these are happening simultaneously. This means that, in addition to the stressors of the job related to the pandemic, policing right now is fundamentally more stressful. As the public demands reform, organizations are shifting their priorities in response. New graduates who wish to pursue law enforcement would be wise to identify agencies that share their value system and commitment to justice so that they are part of this field's positive evolution.
In the fields of corrections and the courts, the implications of the pandemic are equally important-- although much less discussed in the media. Courts are currently facing significant backlogs (few juries have been convened during the last year-leaving a logjam of many open criminal cases). Correctional institutions have used the pandemic as the impetus to de-carcerate, which shifts responsibilities from institutional to community corrections, as those released are often in need of support services in order to be successful. Analysts predict that the reduction in the incarcerated population could bring some savings to local and state budgets, and this may provide some pressure to make the efforts to de-carcerate more permanent. Both of these fields are adapting and it is likely that the pandemic's impact will be long-lasting.
While new graduates certainly will be facing unprecedented challenges in their new professional roles, it's important to consider that this stress can also bring significant opportunity. If necessity is the mother of invention, then creative and energetic graduates may have more opportunity to implement innovative responses they've learned about in college in these fields in the near future.
Jennifer Balboni: For those interested in law enforcement, coursework in community policing is critical for new graduates to have as a foundational background. Recognizing the importance of working with the community is absolutely vital to agencies establishing legitimacy within communities. In addition, coursework and/or certifications in (white collar) fraud examination, emergency management, and cybercrime investigations are an excellent background for new grads who are interested in law enforcement and investigations; each of these fields has increasingly been recognized as integral to successful planning and investigations in the criminal justice realm. In addition, fluency in a different language is always an asset in the criminal justice job market.
Jennifer Balboni: It's certainly been said before, but soft skills-the ability to communicate effectively with different individuals and groups, as well as the ability to advocate for others--are key competencies in the justice field. Being able to communicate with others, as well as understand and empathize with others--is a vital skill in this field.
More technically, graduates who are able to navigate the virtual/digital world will be prepared to help agencies transition to build more permanent digital programming into the fields of corrections, courts, and law enforcement moving forward. The digital programming that has cropped up as a result of this pandemic is likely not going away entirely once the pandemic is more under control-people like the flexibility it provides. The same is true in the justice realm: virtual connections have been integrated in various processes, facilitating important connections between support services and folks involved in the justice system.
La Sierra University
Criminal Justice Program
T.Christopher Bell: The enduring impact is that we now know we can work remotely. We can file reports online; we can conduct investigations, Background Investigations remotely, and expand our reach nationwide. Also, our hygiene has dramatically improved.
T.Christopher Bell: The skills graduates will need are much improved in VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS skills-the ability to de-escalate and resolve conflict through verbal communication. Students who are majoring in Criminal Justice must be able to understand multiculturalism. The ability to understand different and not perceive it as harmful.
T.Christopher Bell: Students who have good critical thinking skills, communication skills and those that can adapt and improvise will do well in the 21st century. Also, students who have interned, volunteered, or worked in any capacity and showed their ability to be a TEAM PLAYER would have successful careers.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Department of Criminal Justice
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: We will see an increasing trend in law enforcement job applications because of unemployment, layoff, and furloughs in other job sectors. These may include people who see that law enforcement is a stable and well-paid career option and have never considered law enforcement as part of their career aspirations before.
Some police agencies reported that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent controversial incidents involving the use of force by police and attacks on officers in the line of duty have not decreased the number of applications to their agencies. For example, it was reported that applications to the Naperville Illinois Police Department doubled after the Minneapolis protests began. Other trends will be transformations in the recruitment processes of agencies to attract candidates with diverse backgrounds. Several law enforcement agencies are now waving application fees to attract more qualified applicants. Some law enforcement agencies' recruitment process resembles the private sectors' hiring methods, including open and continuous recruitment and "Headhunting" recruits. During the pandemic period, the criminal justice agencies are primarily using social media platforms to promote their agencies when in-person attendance to schools' career fairs are canceled.
COVID-19 has forced many law enforcement agencies to transform their recruitment practices and cancel or limit in-person examinations. Some law enforcement agencies already transitioned from in-person to virtual screening during their online application process. For example, candidates are now submitting their application materials via a Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) website. After applicants passed the screening phase, the MPD test them at their testing sites in 29 states across the country. Suppose any candidates do not feel comfortable to take the entrance exam in a testing site due to a pandemic. In that case, they can take the exam at home via remote exam proctoring.
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) 2019 survey found that approximately 75% of responding police agencies have altered recruitment and hiring approaches. This report also suggested that law enforcement agencies should cancel or adjust polygraphs and physical fitness assessments to make their application process more efficient and faster.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic apparently has brought uncertainty to the job market, and job opportunities, especially in some of the social sciences, are reduced. There is an old Turkish saying, "bread is in the mouth of the lion" (ekmek aslanın ağzında) that sums it up nicely. It implies that it is a struggle to make a living. Life after college is not easy. There is too much competition in the job market. Suppose graduates need to take a gap year. In that case, they need to continue to learn after graduation—an extra set of skills that can put them ahead of other applicants—learning another language can put the graduates on the top of other candidates since there are plenty of applicants just like them. Becoming fluent in a second language can bring graduates several advantages.
They can also apply for internship programs of local and federal criminal justice agencies during a gap year. The graduates can observe a criminal justice agency's working environment and the culture of a specific community. They can decide if they want to serve in the organization and the community. They should also consider international organizations' internship programs, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) or Office of Counter-Terrorism internship programs. The UNODC has an office in New York. This internship program provides a framework for students (enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a bachelor's level or equivalent degree programs) to develop their professional skills and gain practical work experience in an international environment. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship online.