The highest-paying states for police and sheriff's patrol officers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $104,160, California is the highest paying state for police and sheriff's patrol officers. It is followed by Washington (average annual salary $94,170). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of police and sheriff's patrol officers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $104,160 |
$65,890 | 70,090 |
| 2 | Washington | $94,170 |
$66,090 | 8,960 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $88,100 |
$51,110 | 20,510 |
| 4 | Illinois | $86,130 |
$49,010 | 29,290 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $86,080 |
$67,490 | 2,360 |
| 6 | Alaska | $82,300 |
$43,060 | 1,310 |
| 7 | Colorado | $82,250 |
$57,920 | 10,140 |
| 8 | Oregon | $80,760 |
$60,740 | 4,880 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $80,330 |
$56,830 | 6,410 |
| 10 | New York | $80,210 |
$49,210 | 50,600 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $78,710 |
$50,420 | 9,020 |
| 12 | Delaware | $78,640 |
$55,590 | 1,860 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $78,540 |
$62,440 | 5,280 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $78,390 |
$44,820 | 25,210 |
| 15 | Maryland | $74,450 |
$52,340 | 10,280 |
| 16 | Nevada | $74,110 |
$58,160 | 5,620 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $73,390 |
$48,700 | 17,450 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $71,590 |
$48,760 | 11,530 |
| 19 | Ohio | $71,100 |
$40,590 | 24,150 |
| 20 | Arizona | $67,310 |
$50,660 | 11,850 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $65,420 |
$49,080 | 1,760 |
| 22 | Michigan | $64,950 |
$44,500 | 16,350 |
| 23 | Texas | $64,370 |
$45,560 | 59,290 |
| 24 | Florida | $63,860 |
$45,970 | 47,000 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $62,870 |
$48,550 | 1,710 |
| 26 | Iowa | $62,820 |
$46,940 | 5,090 |
| 27 | Indiana | $62,200 |
$46,190 | 12,470 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $62,070 |
$46,910 | 3,320 |
| 29 | Utah | $61,380 |
$47,010 | 5,200 |
| 30 | Vermont | $61,360 |
$47,130 | 870 |
| 31 | Montana | $60,520 |
$45,540 | 1,940 |
| 32 | Idaho | $59,930 |
$44,610 | 3,160 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | $59,480 |
$47,480 | 2,900 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $58,880 |
$40,550 | 4,610 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $58,370 |
$44,530 | 1,230 |
| 36 | Virginia | $58,310 |
$44,240 | 17,190 |
| 37 | Maine | $58,030 |
$43,350 | 2,080 |
| 38 | Missouri | $51,090 |
$35,690 | 12,300 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $50,980 |
$39,270 | 1,830 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $49,200 |
$30,650 | 8,900 |
| 41 | Kansas | $48,890 |
$35,510 | 5,920 |
| 42 | Georgia | $48,610 |
$36,170 | 21,140 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $48,260 |
$37,230 | 20,480 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $48,230 |
$35,830 | 12,650 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $47,580 |
$34,820 | 6,460 |
| 46 | Alabama | $47,210 |
$31,650 | 12,570 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $46,960 |
$37,070 | 3,190 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $46,800 |
$36,250 | 11,640 |
| 49 | Puerto Rico | $44,860 |
$23,430 | 12,930 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $44,620 |
$29,080 | 13,080 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $39,040 |
$28,970 | 5,200 |
| 52 | Mississippi | $37,240 |
$25,360 | 7,520 |