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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
654,900 0.5 % $ 33.66 $ 70,000 0.9 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.47 $ 23.54 $ 31.51 $ 41.77 $ 52.42
Annual Wage (2) $ 38,420 $ 48,950 $ 65,540 $ 86,880 $ 109,040


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) 554,770 10.27 $ 33.63 $ 69,940
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 60,220 2.74 $ 37.13 $ 77,230
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 14,960 0.49 $ 28.75 $ 59,790
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,660 0.61 $ 29.83 $ 62,050
Elementary and Secondary Schools 6,210 0.08 $ 28.30 $ 58,860

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) 554,770 10.27 $ 33.63 $ 69,940
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 60,220 2.74 $ 37.13 $ 77,230
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,660 0.61 $ 29.83 $ 62,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 14,960 0.49 $ 28.75 $ 59,790
Junior Colleges 3,280 0.48 $ 27.39 $ 56,970

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) 60,220 2.74 $ 37.13 $ 77,230
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 554,770 10.27 $ 33.63 $ 69,940
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 12,660 0.61 $ 29.83 $ 62,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 14,960 0.49 $ 28.75 $ 59,790
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,730 0.03 $ 28.70 $ 59,700


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.





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 74,310 4.52 0.96 $ 51.65 $ 107,440
Texas 57,830 4.78 1.01 $ 31.56 $ 65,640
New York 55,590 6.40 1.36 $ 38.56 $ 80,210
Florida 38,580 4.57 0.97 $ 30.13 $ 62,680
Illinois 29,190 5.19 1.10 $ 37.72 $ 78,450




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 5,490 7.99 1.70 $ 38.27 $ 79,600
Mississippi 7,780 7.22 1.53 $ 17.89 $ 37,210
New York 55,590 6.40 1.36 $ 38.56 $ 80,210
New Jersey 23,860 6.31 1.34 $ 43.61 $ 90,700
Alabama 11,820 6.21 1.32 $ 22.86 $ 47,550




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 74,310 4.52 0.96 $ 51.65 $ 107,440
New Jersey 23,860 6.31 1.34 $ 43.61 $ 90,700
Alaska 1,200 4.04 0.86 $ 42.37 $ 88,120
Washington 9,090 2.84 0.60 $ 39.78 $ 82,740
Hawaii 2,470 4.31 0.91 $ 39.17 $ 81,460





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 60,100 6.80 1.44 $ 41.48 $ 86,290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 31,840 5.47 1.16 $ 53.23 $ 110,720
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 23,650 5.42 1.15 $ 39.61 $ 82,380
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 15,320 5.07 1.08 $ 37.03 $ 77,020
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,220 5.13 1.09 $ 32.55 $ 67,700
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 14,690 5.45 1.16 $ 36.66 $ 76,260
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 14,210 3.96 0.84 $ 35.24 $ 73,300
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 12,970 5.17 1.10 $ 35.19 $ 73,190
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 12,700 4.82 1.02 $ 24.70 $ 51,380
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 10,520 4.04 0.86 $ 37.76 $ 78,550




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)
Hinesville, GA 200 11.15 2.37 $ 20.80 $ 43,260
Ocean City, NJ 370 10.47 2.22 $ 35.78 $ 74,410
Alexandria, LA 530 9.35 1.99 $ 18.09 $ 37,630
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 1,520 9.25 1.96 $ 21.98 $ 45,710
Gadsden, AL 280 8.71 1.85 $ 20.69 $ 43,030
Hattiesburg, MS 530 8.64 1.83 $ 17.68 $ 36,780
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 260 8.29 1.76 $ 27.68 $ 57,570
New Bern, NC 340 8.13 1.73 $ 23.73 $ 49,350
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 880 7.96 1.69 $ 39.08 $ 81,280
Salinas, CA 1,360 7.95 1.69 $ 40.07 $ 83,340