Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
661,330 0.5 % $31.44 $65,400 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.19 $21.99 $29.51 $39.29 $48.86
Annual Wage (2) $35,750 $45,740 $61,380 $81,730 $101,620


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, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 562,570 10.26 $31.35 $65,210
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 60,850 2.79 $35.03 $72,850
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 14,740 0.48 $26.70 $55,530
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,400 0.62 $27.95 $58,130
Elementary and Secondary Schools 4,710 0.06 $26.59 $55,310

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, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 562,570 10.26 $31.35 $65,210
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 60,850 2.79 $35.03 $72,850
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,400 0.62 $27.95 $58,130
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 14,740 0.48 $26.70 $55,530
Junior Colleges 3,240 0.45 $25.59 $53,230

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 60,850 2.79 $35.03 $72,850
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 562,570 10.26 $31.35 $65,210
Support Activities for Air Transportation 220 0.10 $30.10 $62,610
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,660 0.03 $28.99 $60,300
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,400 0.62 $27.95 $58,130


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 72,680 4.27 0.94 $48.74 $101,380
Texas 60,260 4.97 1.09 $29.74 $61,870
New York 53,560 5.71 1.25 $35.99 $74,860
Florida 37,650 4.37 0.96 $28.66 $59,610
Illinois 30,370 5.07 1.11 $36.40 $75,720




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)
District of Columbia 5,450 7.65 1.67 $36.03 $74,940
Mississippi 7,520 6.69 1.46 $17.09 $35,550
Louisiana 11,810 6.17 1.35 $19.98 $41,550
Alabama 11,410 5.87 1.28 $22.08 $45,930
New York 53,560 5.71 1.25 $35.99 $74,860




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 72,680 4.27 0.94 $48.74 $101,380
Alaska 1,070 3.40 0.74 $42.32 $88,030
New Jersey 19,950 4.93 1.08 $40.25 $83,720
Washington 9,670 2.97 0.65 $37.34 $77,670
Illinois 30,370 5.07 1.11 $36.40 $75,720





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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 54,670 5.76 1.26 $38.30 $79,660
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 30,190 4.93 1.08 $50.11 $104,230
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 24,460 5.27 1.15 $38.24 $79,540
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 15,950 5.09 1.11 $34.61 $72,000
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,170 5.09 1.11 $30.53 $63,500
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 14,840 4.16 0.91 $33.41 $69,480
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 14,000 4.92 1.08 $34.43 $71,610
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 12,500 4.83 1.06 $34.40 $71,550
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 12,100 4.51 0.99 $22.35 $46,480
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 11,760 4.26 0.93 $34.87 $72,520




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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hammond, LA 470 10.87 2.38 $15.83 $32,920
The Villages, FL 290 10.63 2.33 $21.45 $44,610
Danville, IL 240 9.13 2.00 $24.75 $51,470
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 500 9.06 1.98 $24.26 $50,470
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 1,540 8.83 1.93 $20.69 $43,040
Jacksonville, NC 410 8.77 1.92 $22.17 $46,110
Hinesville, GA 160 8.60 1.88 $19.58 $40,730
Alexandria, LA 520 8.55 1.87 $18.10 $37,650
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 2,190 8.43 1.85 $22.63 $47,070
New Bern, NC 340 7.88 1.72 $20.24 $42,100




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 3,660 3.27 0.71 $60.57 $125,990
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 8,530 3.52 0.77 $55.12 $114,650
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 1,070 7.74 1.69 $53.15 $110,560
Santa Rosa, CA 720 3.49 0.76 $51.85 $107,850
Napa, CA 260 3.41 0.75 $51.64 $107,420
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 320 3.26 0.71 $50.54 $105,120
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 30,190 4.93 1.08 $50.11 $104,230
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,240 3.95 0.87 $50.09 $104,180
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 640 3.40 0.74 $49.08 $102,080
Redding, CA 340 5.22 1.14 $47.64 $99,090

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,940 4.94 1.08 $19.80 $41,190
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,810 6.67 1.46 $21.84 $45,420
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 1,760 5.26 1.15 $24.32 $50,590
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,720 6.63 1.45 $19.63 $40,830
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,580 8.11 1.78 $23.17 $48,190

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 950 10.25 2.24 $17.18 $35,730
Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 570 9.87 2.16 $22.67 $47,150
Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 350 9.70 2.12 $25.29 $52,610
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area 480 9.66 2.12 $22.62 $47,040
North Florida nonmetropolitan area 1,090 9.16 2.00 $18.03 $37,500

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

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 340 5.81 1.27 $43.52 $90,520
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 420 3.93 0.86 $41.57 $86,460
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 670 6.77 1.48 $40.80 $84,860
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 550 5.24 1.15 $37.02 $77,010
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 180 5.56 1.22 $36.53 $75,990


About May 2018 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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019