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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.


National estimates for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Industry profile for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Geographic profile for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

National estimates for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
655,890 0.3 % $ 34.32 $ 71,380 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 19.50 $ 24.14 $ 31.63 $ 40.64 $ 50.05
Annual Wage (2) $ 40,560 $ 50,210 $ 65,790 $ 84,520 $ 104,100


Industry profile for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 557,660 10.38 $ 34.32 $ 71,390
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 57,490 2.71 $ 37.75 $ 78,520
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 15,240 0.50 $ 28.58 $ 59,440
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,220 0.59 $ 32.12 $ 66,800
Elementary and Secondary Schools 6,620 0.08 $ 27.97 $ 58,180

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 557,660 10.38 $ 34.32 $ 71,390
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 57,490 2.71 $ 37.75 $ 78,520
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,220 0.59 $ 32.12 $ 66,800
Junior Colleges 3,490 0.56 $ 26.26 $ 54,630
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 15,240 0.50 $ 28.58 $ 59,440

Top paying industries for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 57,490 2.71 $ 37.75 $ 78,520
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 557,660 10.38 $ 34.32 $ 71,390
Support Activities for Air Transportation (8) (8) $ 34.18 $ 71,100
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (8) (8) $ 32.42 $ 67,440
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,220 0.59 $ 32.12 $ 66,800


Geographic profile for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 70,090 3.97 0.90 $ 50.01 $ 104,010
Texas 59,290 4.56 1.03 $ 32.00 $ 66,570
New York 50,600 5.56 1.25 $ 39.30 $ 81,750
Florida 47,000 5.10 1.15 $ 35.26 $ 73,350
Illinois 29,290 4.98 1.12 $ 39.65 $ 82,470


Map of location quotient of police and sheriff's patrol officers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 5,280 7.66 1.73 $ 39.02 $ 81,160
Louisiana 13,080 7.08 1.60 $ 21.78 $ 45,310
Mississippi 7,520 6.65 1.50 $ 18.48 $ 38,430
Alabama 12,570 6.27 1.41 $ 23.47 $ 48,820
New Mexico 4,610 5.63 1.27 $ 27.26 $ 56,690


Map of annual mean wages of police and sheriff's patrol officers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 70,090 3.97 0.90 $ 50.01 $ 104,010
Washington 8,960 2.63 0.59 $ 44.35 $ 92,250
New Jersey 20,510 4.99 1.13 $ 43.52 $ 90,520
Hawaii 2,360 3.97 0.89 $ 43.09 $ 89,640
Alaska 1,310 4.28 0.97 $ 41.21 $ 85,710



Map of employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 52,580 5.72 1.29 $ 42.43 $ 88,260
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 25,700 4.21 0.95 $ 50.13 $ 104,270
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 23,530 5.33 1.20 $ 41.59 $ 86,500
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 19,340 7.37 1.66 $ 43.87 $ 91,250
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 14,940 4.89 1.10 $ 32.31 $ 67,210
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 14,920 4.93 1.11 $ 37.25 $ 77,480
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 14,210 3.74 0.84 $ 35.82 $ 74,510
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 13,020 4.70 1.06 $ 37.93 $ 78,880
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 11,760 4.35 0.98 $ 36.32 $ 75,550
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 11,630 4.26 0.96 $ 26.02 $ 54,120


Map of location quotient of police and sheriff's patrol officers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Gadsden, AL 330 10.35 2.33 $ 19.78 $ 41,140
Alexandria, LA 590 9.83 2.22 $ 19.02 $ 39,570
Hinesville, GA 190 9.43 2.13 $ 20.56 $ 42,760
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 340 9.24 2.08 $ 25.22 $ 52,460
Punta Gorda, FL 440 8.45 1.90 $ 30.95 $ 64,380
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 270 8.20 1.85 $ 28.64 $ 59,580
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 1,330 7.99 1.80 $ 23.35 $ 48,560
Farmington, NM 350 7.95 1.79 $ 26.73 $ 55,600
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 4,030 7.77 1.75 $ 23.68 $ 49,260
The Villages, FL 280 7.74 1.75 $ 29.48 $ 61,310


Map of annual mean wages of police and sheriff's patrol officers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,880 2.56 0.58 $ 62.36 $ 129,710
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 9,190 3.84 0.87 $ 57.43 $ 119,460
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 660 4.82 1.09 $ 56.32 $ 117,150
Napa, CA 270 3.67 0.83 $ 52.75 $ 109,730
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 660 3.22 0.72 $ 52.12 $ 108,410
Redding, CA 290 4.34 0.98 $ 51.76 $ 107,650
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 380 3.90 0.88 $ 50.64 $ 105,330
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,130 3.61 0.81 $ 50.49 $ 105,010
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 25,700 4.21 0.95 $ 50.13 $ 104,270
Salinas, CA 870 4.81 1.08 $ 49.89 $ 103,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,950 5.09 1.15 $ 20.73 $ 43,120
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,760 10.63 2.40 $ 22.04 $ 45,840
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,610 6.59 1.49 $ 21.14 $ 43,970
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,560 5.71 1.29 $ 25.31 $ 52,640
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,440 7.35 1.66 $ 25.76 $ 53,570

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,760 10.63 2.40 $ 22.04 $ 45,840
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 960 10.49 2.36 $ 28.57 $ 59,430
Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 600 10.31 2.33 $ 23.66 $ 49,210
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 910 9.71 2.19 $ 18.75 $ 39,000
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 610 9.61 2.17 $ 27.09 $ 56,340

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 530 8.73 1.97 $ 44.70 $ 92,980
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 480 4.95 1.12 $ 44.19 $ 91,910
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 850 8.42 1.90 $ 42.78 $ 88,990
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 710 6.82 1.54 $ 40.12 $ 83,460
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 450 4.54 1.02 $ 37.39 $ 77,760


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023