State trooper vs patrol officer

The differences between state troopers and patrol officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a state trooper has an average salary of $39,812, which is higher than the $35,621 average annual salary of a patrol officer.

The top three skills for a state trooper include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a patrol officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.

State trooper vs patrol officer overview

	State Trooper	Patrol Officer
Yearly salary	$39,812	$35,621
Hourly rate	$19.14	$17.13
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	630	123,265
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

State trooper vs patrol officer salary

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

	State Trooper	Patrol Officer
Average salary	$39,812	$35,621
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $50,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	North Dakota
Best paying company	Washington State University	Mount St. Mary's University
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between state trooper and patrol officer education

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

	State Trooper	Patrol Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	California State University - Long Beach

State trooper vs patrol officer demographics

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

	State Trooper	Patrol Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9%	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%
Race ratio	Black 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, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between state trooper and patrol officer 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.

Patrol officer example responsibilities.

Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
Report and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
Enforce NYS racing guidelines state, rules and regulations.
Protect life and property at the largest regional aviation facility in NYS.
Provide emergency medical assistance as a first responder.
Utilize security vehicle to patrol all residential areas and parking lot ensuring resident safety.

State trooper vs patrol officer skills

Common state trooper skills

Patrol, 30%
Public Safety, 12%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Criminal Law, 5%
Field Training, 4%
Traffic Control, 4%

Common patrol officer skills

Patrol, 48%
Customer Service, 8%
Public Safety, 7%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Incident Reports, 2%