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State trooper vs officer candidate

The differences between state troopers and officers candidate can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an officer candidate has an average salary of $44,036, which is higher than the $39,812 average annual salary of a state trooper.

The top three skills for a state trooper include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for an officer candidate are platoon, combat, and leadership.

State trooper vs officer candidate overview

State TrooperOfficer Candidate
Yearly salary$39,812$44,036
Hourly rate$19.14$21.17
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs63055,985
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

State trooper vs officer candidate salary

State troopers and officers candidate have different pay scales, as shown below.

State TrooperOfficer Candidate
Average salary$39,812$44,036
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $50,000Between $25,000 And $76,000
Highest paying CityOlympia, WA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyWashington State University-
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between state trooper and officer candidate education

There are a few differences between a state trooper and an officer candidate in terms of educational background:

State TrooperOfficer Candidate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeBusiness
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityCalifornia State University - Bakersfield

State trooper vs officer candidate demographics

Here are the differences between state troopers' and officers candidate' demographics:

State TrooperOfficer Candidate
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 90.1% Female, 9.9%Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between state trooper and officer candidate duties and responsibilities

State trooper example responsibilities.

  • Administer CPR and Narcan injections for drug overdoses.
  • Answer calls for service, provide assistance to strand motorists, DUI detection and drug interdiction.
  • Monitor potential driving under the influence motor vehicle suspects, and subsequently make DUI arrests when appropriate.
  • Require to undergo firearm proficiency/self defense tactics and be able to operate a departmental cruiser safely during patrol.
  • Provide patrol personnel with the information concerning activities of patrol, work directives and sensitive information pertaining to criminal activity.10.
  • Qualify and utilize firearms provide emergency assistance, conduct investigations, report writing and presenting testimony in a court of law.
  • Show more

Officer candidate example responsibilities.

  • Lead a platoon of officer candidates through physical training warm-ups and cool downs, focusing on proper technique and execution.
  • Manage procurement operations and export-import logistics operations of recreational vehicles from U.S. to Venezuela.
  • Garrison leadership positions include serving as platoon leader and squad leader
  • Apply leadership, management and supervision techniques when receiving operational orders, disseminating information and assigning mission essential tasks.
  • Complete physical testing standards as well as many academic exams that analyze leadership potential as well as mental cognitive capabilities.
  • Join extracurricular ROTC activities, such as color guard.
  • Show more

State trooper vs officer candidate skills

Common state trooper skills
  • Patrol, 30%
  • Public Safety, 12%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
  • Criminal Law, 5%
  • Field Training, 4%
  • Traffic Control, 4%
Common officer candidate skills
  • Platoon, 15%
  • Combat, 11%
  • Leadership, 9%
  • Physical Fitness Test, 9%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Physical Fitness Training, 6%

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