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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




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 3,750 3.40 0.72 $ 63.02 $ 131,090
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 8,270 3.55 0.75 $ 58.93 $ 122,570
Santa Rosa, CA 680 3.51 0.75 $ 55.62 $ 115,690
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 920 6.90 1.47 $ 55.37 $ 115,180
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 31,840 5.47 1.16 $ 53.23 $ 110,720
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,420 4.76 1.01 $ 53.07 $ 110,390
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 370 4.03 0.86 $ 52.23 $ 108,640
Redding, CA 290 4.49 0.95 $ 52.21 $ 108,610
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 730 4.02 0.85 $ 51.94 $ 108,030
Merced, CA 300 4.14 0.88 $ 50.55 $ 105,150

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 Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,870 7.78 1.65 $ 20.03 $ 41,660
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,840 7.51 1.60 $ 20.25 $ 42,110
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,820 4.81 1.02 $ 20.58 $ 42,800
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,670 6.21 1.32 $ 23.28 $ 48,420
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 1,570 5.05 1.07 $ 25.79 $ 53,640

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)
Northeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,070 11.98 2.54 $ 20.99 $ 43,670
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 940 10.48 2.23 $ 15.70 $ 32,660
Northeast South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 980 10.42 2.21 $ 17.93 $ 37,300
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 930 10.34 2.20 $ 24.81 $ 51,610
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area 460 9.61 2.04 $ 23.70 $ 49,290

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 390 7.08 1.50 $ 44.98 $ 93,570
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 750 7.72 1.64 $ 43.38 $ 90,230
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 490 5.30 1.13 $ 40.56 $ 84,370
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 610 6.22 1.32 $ 39.78 $ 82,740
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 540 5.38 1.14 $ 38.09 $ 79,230


About May 2020 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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021