Trooper vs law enforcement officer

The differences between troopers and law enforcement officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a trooper has an average salary of $39,510, which is higher than the $39,219 average annual salary of a law enforcement officer.

The top three skills for a trooper include field training, patrol and traffic accidents. The most important skills for a law enforcement officer are patrol, public safety, and emergency situations.

Trooper vs law enforcement officer overview

	Trooper	Law Enforcement Officer
Yearly salary	$39,510	$39,219
Hourly rate	$19.00	$18.86
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	1,565	105,817
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Trooper vs law enforcement officer salary

Troopers and law enforcement officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Trooper	Law Enforcement Officer
Average salary	$39,510	$39,219
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $52,000	Between $30,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	University of Nebraska System
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between trooper and law enforcement officer education

There are a few differences between a trooper and a law enforcement officer in terms of educational background:

	Trooper	Law Enforcement Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Pennsylvania State University

Trooper vs law enforcement officer demographics

Here are the differences between troopers' and law enforcement officers' demographics:

	Trooper	Law Enforcement Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%	Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.1% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between trooper and law enforcement officer duties and responsibilities

Trooper example 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.
Respond to report incidents and detect criminal activities during routine patrol operations.
Advance firearm training and accident investigations.

Law enforcement officer example responsibilities.

Attend NCO leadership school and receive training on how to properly, and effectively manage personnel.
Accomplish scheduled and random security checks of control and classify areas to ensure compliance with DOD resource protection guidelines.
Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
Operate QRV solo, backing up BLS ambulances.
Certify in defensive tactics, firearms, driver's training, professional first aid and CPR.
DOT and FMCSA regulation enforcement.

Trooper vs law enforcement officer skills

Common trooper skills

Field Training, 27%
Patrol, 11%
Traffic Accidents, 10%
Domestic Violence, 8%
Criminal Investigations, 6%
Swat, 5%

Common law enforcement officer skills

Patrol, 26%
Public Safety, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Criminal Justice, 6%
CPR, 3%
Metal Detectors, 3%

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Trooper vs Law Enforcement Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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