Trooper vs police officer

The differences between troopers and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, which is higher than the $39,510 average annual salary of a trooper.

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

Trooper vs police officer overview

	Trooper	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$39,510	$52,638
Hourly rate	$19.00	$25.31
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	1,565	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Trooper vs police officer salary

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

	Trooper	Police Officer
Average salary	$39,510	$52,638
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $52,000	Between $38,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between trooper and police officer education

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

	Trooper	Police Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Pennsylvania State University

Trooper vs police officer demographics

Here are the differences between troopers' and police officers' demographics:

	Trooper	Police Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between trooper and police 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.

Police officer example responsibilities.

Apprehend violators and log evidence, complete require USAF and DoD forms, and accomplish report.
Train in CPR and first aid, radar speed enforcement, domestic violence intervention, pepper spray, and basic anti-terrorism.
Gather preliminary investigation information as a first responder to crime scenes.
Perform basic patrol functions including criminal and traffic law enforcement, incident reporting and community relations.
Complete numerous testimonies at criminal hearings and traffic violations, serve summons, subpoenas and other official documentation.
Patrol MARTA trains and bus lines.

Trooper vs police officer skills

Common trooper skills

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

Common police officer skills

Patrol, 27%
Public Safety, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Field Training, 4%
CPR, 3%