How To Become A Trooper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a trooper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a trooper. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.0 an hour? That's $39,510 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a trooper?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

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.

ScoreTrooperUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,510

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.96%

Asian 4.11%

Black or African American 11.65%

Hispanic or Latino 14.78%

Unknown 4.46%

White 64.04%

Gender

female 9.59%

male 90.41%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a trooper

Explore trooper education requirements

Most common trooper degrees

Bachelor's

55.6 %

Associate

24.3 %

Master's

9.4 %

Start to develop specific trooper skills

Skills	Percentages
Field Training	26.97%
Patrol	10.65%
Traffic Accidents	10.38%
Domestic Violence	7.72%
Criminal Investigations	5.52%

Complete relevant trooper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New troopers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a trooper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real trooper resumes.

Research trooper duties and responsibilities

Qualify with and, when necessary, used department firearms and other self-defense devices.
Issue court summonses, perform radar (speed) operations, rigorously enforce DUI laws.
Make DUI arrest, investigate traffic crashes and crimes commit on state own or lease property.
Perform general patrol, criminal/accident investigations and motor vehicle enforcement duties.

Prepare your trooper resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your trooper resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a trooper resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable trooper resume templates

Build a professional trooper resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your trooper resume.