Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 665,380 |
0.4 % |
$ 34.02 |
$ 70,750 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 19.32 |
$ 24.34 |
$ 31.06 |
$ 39.35 |
$ 49.29 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 40,190 |
$ 50,630 |
$ 64,610 |
$ 81,850 |
$ 102,530 |
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) |
564,980 |
10.51 |
$ 33.98 |
$ 70,690 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
59,640 |
2.72 |
$ 37.67 |
$ 78,350 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
15,050 |
0.50 |
$ 28.90 |
$ 60,120 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
12,770 |
0.61 |
$ 30.51 |
$ 63,450 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
6,880 |
0.08 |
$ 28.73 |
$ 59,750 |
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) |
564,980 |
10.51 |
$ 33.98 |
$ 70,690 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
59,640 |
2.72 |
$ 37.67 |
$ 78,350 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
12,770 |
0.61 |
$ 30.51 |
$ 63,450 |
| Junior Colleges |
3,490 |
0.56 |
$ 26.35 |
$ 54,810 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
15,050 |
0.50 |
$ 28.90 |
$ 60,120 |
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) |
59,640 |
2.72 |
$ 37.67 |
$ 78,350 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
564,980 |
10.51 |
$ 33.98 |
$ 70,690 |
| Postal Service (federal government) |
400 |
0.06 |
$ 31.08 |
$ 64,640 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
12,770 |
0.61 |
$ 30.51 |
$ 63,450 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1,430 |
0.03 |
$ 29.35 |
$ 61,040 |
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 |
70,050 |
4.24 |
0.90 |
$ 49.48 |
$ 102,920 |
| Texas |
60,440 |
4.94 |
1.05 |
$ 32.16 |
$ 66,890 |
| New York |
49,910 |
5.76 |
1.22 |
$ 38.75 |
$ 80,590 |
| Florida |
45,360 |
5.27 |
1.12 |
$ 31.88 |
$ 66,320 |
| Illinois |
30,640 |
5.45 |
1.15 |
$ 39.81 |
$ 82,800 |
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 |
5,450 |
8.23 |
1.74 |
$ 39.45 |
$ 82,060 |
| Louisiana |
12,450 |
6.94 |
1.47 |
$ 21.53 |
$ 44,790 |
| Mississippi |
7,410 |
6.73 |
1.42 |
$ 18.72 |
$ 38,940 |
| Alabama |
12,430 |
6.45 |
1.36 |
$ 23.82 |
$ 49,540 |
| New Mexico |
4,870 |
6.27 |
1.33 |
$ 26.65 |
$ 55,420 |
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 |
70,050 |
4.24 |
0.90 |
$ 49.48 |
$ 102,920 |
| Washington |
8,670 |
2.70 |
0.57 |
$ 44.42 |
$ 92,390 |
| New Jersey |
20,650 |
5.36 |
1.14 |
$ 44.08 |
$ 91,690 |
| Alaska |
1,320 |
4.47 |
0.95 |
$ 42.07 |
$ 87,510 |
| Illinois |
30,640 |
5.45 |
1.15 |
$ 39.81 |
$ 82,800 |
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 |
51,330 |
5.91 |
1.25 |
$ 41.69 |
$ 86,720 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
25,840 |
4.52 |
0.96 |
$ 49.72 |
$ 103,410 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
24,500 |
5.79 |
1.23 |
$ 41.85 |
$ 87,050 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
16,120 |
6.57 |
1.39 |
$ 36.57 |
$ 76,060 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
15,360 |
5.24 |
1.11 |
$ 37.43 |
$ 77,850 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
15,020 |
5.19 |
1.10 |
$ 32.58 |
$ 67,760 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
14,660 |
4.08 |
0.86 |
$ 36.31 |
$ 75,530 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
13,820 |
5.21 |
1.10 |
$ 38.17 |
$ 79,400 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
12,400 |
4.79 |
1.01 |
$ 26.72 |
$ 55,570 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
11,690 |
4.52 |
0.96 |
$ 36.53 |
$ 75,970 |
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) |
| Punta Gorda, FL |
560 |
11.37 |
2.41 |
$ 31.00 |
$ 64,480 |
| Hinesville, GA |
210 |
10.98 |
2.33 |
$ 22.05 |
$ 45,870 |
| Alexandria, LA |
610 |
10.54 |
2.23 |
$ 19.12 |
$ 39,760 |
| Farmington, NM |
380 |
9.12 |
1.93 |
$ 26.38 |
$ 54,870 |
| Ocean City, NJ |
340 |
8.83 |
1.87 |
$ 37.44 |
$ 77,880 |
| Lawton, OK |
350 |
8.45 |
1.79 |
$ 23.92 |
$ 49,760 |
| Kingston, NY |
460 |
8.45 |
1.79 |
$ 32.31 |
$ 67,200 |
| Gadsden, AL |
260 |
8.27 |
1.75 |
$ 21.89 |
$ 45,540 |
| Laredo, TX |
800 |
8.20 |
1.74 |
$ 34.12 |
$ 70,970 |
| San Angelo, TX |
370 |
8.08 |
1.71 |
$ 27.92 |
$ 58,080 |
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 |
2,870 |
2.68 |
0.57 |
$ 60.56 |
$ 125,960 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
9,270 |
4.13 |
0.88 |
$ 56.95 |
$ 118,450 |
| Napa, CA |
230 |
3.27 |
0.69 |
$ 55.78 |
$ 116,010 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
730 |
5.66 |
1.20 |
$ 55.67 |
$ 115,800 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
860 |
4.49 |
0.95 |
$ 50.99 |
$ 106,050 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
370 |
3.93 |
0.83 |
$ 50.20 |
$ 104,420 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
670 |
3.44 |
0.73 |
$ 50.16 |
$ 104,340 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
25,840 |
4.52 |
0.96 |
$ 49.72 |
$ 103,410 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA |
540 |
4.86 |
1.03 |
$ 49.08 |
$ 102,090 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
1,180 |
3.97 |
0.84 |
$ 48.83 |
$ 101,560 |
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) |
| Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area |
1,980 |
12.18 |
2.58 |
$ 24.55 |
$ 51,050 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
1,970 |
5.24 |
1.11 |
$ 20.96 |
$ 43,610 |
| Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
1,650 |
6.88 |
1.46 |
$ 21.43 |
$ 44,570 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
1,640 |
6.17 |
1.31 |
$ 25.33 |
$ 52,680 |
| Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
1,560 |
6.40 |
1.35 |
$ 21.72 |
$ 45,170 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers:
About May 2021 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.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
