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Job outlook for special polices in the United States
Special police job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected special police job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for special polices are projected over the next decade.
Special police salaries have increased 10% for special polices in the last 5 years.
There are over 59,524 special polices currently employed in the United States.
There are 70,973 active special police job openings in the US.
The average special police salary is $41,873.
Are special police jobs in demand?
Special police job and salary trends over time
Special police jobs over time
Special police job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59,524 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 58,603 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 59,602 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 59,241 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 59,323 | 0.02% |
Average special police salary over time
Special police salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $41,873 | $20.13 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | $40,346 | $19.40 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $39,215 | $18.85 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $39,004 | $18.75 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $38,129 | $18.33 | +2.3% |
Special police jobs by state
Most common states for special polices
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 136 | 20% |
| 2 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 321 | 17% |
| 3 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 715 | 16% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,062 | 15% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 201 | 15% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,800 | 14% |
| 7 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 843 | 14% |
| 8 | Delaware | 961,939 | 134 | 14% |
| 9 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 1,473 | 13% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 734 | 13% |
| 11 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 137 | 13% |
| 12 | Alaska | 739,795 | 99 | 13% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,583 | 12% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 380 | 12% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 126 | 12% |
| 16 | Vermont | 623,657 | 76 | 12% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 640 | 11% |
| 18 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 590 | 11% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 412 | 11% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 65 | 11% |
Most common cities for special polices
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 15 | 2% | $45,983 |
Special Police job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of special police experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a Special Police?
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.
What will help Special Polices increase their earning potential?
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.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Special Police resumes?
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