Trooper vs public safety officer

The differences between troopers and public safety 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 $36,596 average annual salary of a public safety officer.

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

Trooper vs public safety officer overview

	Trooper	Public Safety Officer
Yearly salary	$39,510	$36,596
Hourly rate	$19.00	$17.59
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	1,565	122,048
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Trooper vs public safety officer salary

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

	Trooper	Public Safety Officer
Average salary	$39,510	$36,596
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $52,000	Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	New Britain, CT
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between trooper and public safety officer education

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

	Trooper	Public Safety Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Bakersfield

Trooper vs public safety officer demographics

Here are the differences between troopers' and public safety officers' demographics:

	Trooper	Public Safety Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%	Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3%
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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between trooper and public safety 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.

Public safety officer example responsibilities.

Manage litigation and bankruptcy matters.
Apply hand cuffs, restraints and calm combative irate people, handling emergency situations, report writing, CPR, a.
Patrol campus, answer calls: fire, police, ems.
Engage in assistance for medical staff in dangerous situations, patient restraints, heavy lifting, and area access.
Monitor campus radio and cameras, dispatch emergency calls, issue summonses and utilize the NYSPIN computer communication network.
Involve in patient restraints and aggressive patient/visitor confrontations.

Trooper vs public safety officer skills

Common trooper skills

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

Common public safety officer skills

Patrol, 18%
Patients, 17%
Public Safety, 12%
Customer Service, 7%
CPR, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%

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Trooper vs Public Safety Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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