Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

33-3051 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, State, or Federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
632,000 0.6 % $27.78 $57,770 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.55 $19.94 $26.57 $34.85 $42.94
Annual Wage (2) $32,350 $41,480 $55,270 $72,480 $89,310

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government (OES Designation) 540,910 9.88 $27.73 $57,670
State Government (OES Designation) 59,790 2.72 $30.20 $62,810
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,400 0.61 $25.30 $52,620
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 11,870 0.41 $23.32 $48,500
Elementary and Secondary Schools 2,650 0.03 $20.87 $43,410

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government (OES Designation) 540,910 9.88 $27.73 $57,670
State Government (OES Designation) 59,790 2.72 $30.20 $62,810
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,400 0.61 $25.30 $52,620
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 11,870 0.41 $23.32 $48,500
Junior Colleges 1,950 0.26 $21.19 $44,080

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government (OES Designation) 59,790 2.72 $30.20 $62,810
Local Government (OES Designation) 540,910 9.88 $27.73 $57,670
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 590 0.25 $26.74 $55,620
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,210 0.02 $26.47 $55,060
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 100 0.04 $26.03 $54,150

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 69,740 4.88 1.01 $40.54 $84,320
Texas 54,750 5.18 1.07 $25.06 $52,130
New York 52,240 6.12 1.26 $32.94 $68,510
Florida 35,090 4.82 0.99 $27.11 $56,380
Illinois 29,670 5.26 1.08 $32.01 $66,570




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mississippi 6,920 6.41 1.32 $15.19 $31,600
District of Columbia 4,150 6.34 1.31 $32.71 $68,040
Louisiana 11,830 6.33 1.31 $18.80 $39,100
New York 52,240 6.12 1.26 $32.94 $68,510
Alabama 10,750 5.89 1.22 $19.45 $40,450




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 21,420 5.65 1.16 $40.83 $84,930
California 69,740 4.88 1.01 $40.54 $84,320
Alaska 1,140 3.58 0.74 $34.73 $72,240
Washington 8,490 3.07 0.63 $33.14 $68,920
New York 52,240 6.12 1.26 $32.94 $68,510





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 36,180 7.02 1.45 $34.83 $72,450
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 24,590 6.35 1.31 $40.80 $84,870
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 21,120 5.80 1.20 $34.93 $72,660
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 13,170 4.99 1.03 $25.87 $53,810
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 12,770 5.45 1.12 $30.50 $63,440
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 11,270 6.18 1.27 $29.62 $61,610
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 10,090 4.46 0.92 $20.03 $41,650
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 9,490 4.53 0.93 $27.63 $57,470
Baltimore-Towson, MD 8,010 6.36 1.31 $26.58 $55,290
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 7,800 4.56 0.94 $28.21 $58,670