Pay by state · 53 areas
Police Officer Salary by State (2026)
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers earn the most in California at $118,880 a year and the least in Mississippi at $46,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $76,210. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $118,880California
- National median
- $76,210BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $46,140Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for police and sheriff's patrol officers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$118,880
- 2Washington$102,080
- 3Illinois$100,520
- 4Alaska$99,130
- 5Colorado$97,350
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$46,140
- 2Arkansas$47,670
- 3Louisiana$48,380
- 4Alabama$51,270
- 5West Virginia$56,960
All states
Police Officer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of police and sheriff's patrol officers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $118,880 | $97,280 | $126,780 | 65,940 | $107,370 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $102,080 | $92,930 | $118,480 | 9,160 | $95,390 |
| 3 | ILIllinois | $100,520 | $76,480 | $107,810 | 29,180 | $100,562 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $99,130 | $78,810 | $126,480 | 1,260 | $96,845 |
| 5 | COColorado | $97,350 | $76,640 | $102,620 | 9,610 | $94,467 |
| 6 | DEDelaware | $92,970 | $75,550 | $102,530 | 1,800 | $93,149 |
| 7 | NYNew York | $92,790 | $57,180 | $107,080 | 53,470 | $85,980 |
| 8 | NJNew Jersey | $92,610 | $67,070 | $117,800 | 21,780 | $85,116 |
| 9 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $88,650 | $77,210 | $107,360 | 4,720 | $80,664 |
| 10 | OROregon | $88,140 | $78,170 | $98,650 | 5,030 | $85,274 |
| 11 | PAPennsylvania | $85,470 | $63,080 | $96,970 | 26,510 | $87,597 |
| 12 | HIHawaii | $83,820 | $82,640 | $108,110 | 2,420 | $76,234 |
| 13 | MNMinnesota | $83,360 | $75,750 | $98,430 | 9,160 | $84,526 |
| 14 | CTConnecticut | $82,170 | $77,500 | $93,520 | 6,500 | $79,307 |
| 15 | MAMassachusetts | $78,940 | $71,970 | $97,390 | 17,040 | $74,643 |
| 16 | AZArizona | $78,880 | $68,550 | $96,800 | 12,010 | $78,350 |
| 17 | NVNevada | $78,140 | $76,010 | $101,260 | 5,720 | $78,156 |
| 18 | WIWisconsin | $78,090 | $67,450 | $84,850 | 12,320 | $82,991 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $77,970 | $66,300 | $95,990 | 9,720 | $74,286 |
| 20 | UTUtah | $77,310 | $64,520 | $94,150 | 5,500 | $78,198 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $77,230 | $69,370 | $91,620 | 1,940 | $75,508 |
| 22 | OHOhio | $77,020 | $62,700 | $90,390 | 23,430 | $83,019 |
| 23 | TXTexas | $75,900 | $61,240 | $93,800 | 63,100 | $78,201 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $74,620 | $63,170 | $93,480 | 3,490 | $82,816 |
| 25 | NDNorth Dakota | $74,500 | $62,670 | $78,050 | 1,630 | $83,746 |
| 26 | FLFlorida | $74,470 | $60,520 | $93,460 | 43,630 | $72,012 |
| 27 | IAIowa | $74,470 | $63,810 | $86,160 | 5,130 | $84,854 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $73,730 | $60,410 | $80,170 | 16,750 | $76,629 |
| 29 | INIndiana | $73,370 | $60,710 | $84,820 | 12,980 | $78,614 |
| 30 | NHNew Hampshire | $71,640 | $61,480 | $77,010 | 2,460 | $68,776 |
| 31 | MTMontana | $70,050 | $59,860 | $77,500 | 2,160 | $74,013 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $69,180 | $58,870 | $73,430 | 4,580 | $75,023 |
| 33 | VTVermont | $68,910 | $59,680 | $79,080 | 1,020 | $70,346 |
| 34 | MEMaine | $67,050 | $61,230 | $76,550 | 2,120 | $69,088 |
| 35 | IDIdaho | $66,990 | $58,090 | $83,560 | 2,810 | $70,151 |
| 36 | WYWyoming | $66,140 | $59,640 | $73,650 | 1,310 | $71,355 |
| 37 | VAVirginia | $65,870 | $58,140 | $78,480 | 19,970 | $65,151 |
| 38 | GUGuam | $62,130 | $47,150 | $85,430 | 540 | N/A |
| 39 | SDSouth Dakota | $60,740 | $52,330 | $72,000 | 2,000 | $68,566 |
| 40 | KYKentucky | $60,490 | $47,940 | $68,990 | 7,890 | $67,093 |
| 41 | OKOklahoma | $59,700 | $45,250 | $78,580 | 9,660 | $67,962 |
| 42 | MOMissouri | $59,460 | $46,760 | $75,930 | 13,570 | $65,472 |
| 43 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,300 | $49,460 | $72,700 | 22,370 | $62,867 |
| 44 | TNTennessee | $59,280 | $48,710 | $75,410 | 15,630 | $64,526 |
| 45 | KSKansas | $59,230 | $48,670 | $71,950 | 6,130 | $65,761 |
| 46 | GAGeorgia | $58,120 | $48,290 | $63,270 | 22,170 | $60,357 |
| 47 | SCSouth Carolina | $58,070 | $48,570 | $68,190 | 12,930 | $61,942 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $56,960 | $48,950 | $61,330 | 2,900 | $63,645 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $51,270 | $44,260 | $63,090 | 11,710 | $57,722 |
| 50 | LALouisiana | $48,380 | $43,090 | $59,440 | 12,400 | $54,848 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $47,670 | $40,100 | $56,720 | 5,710 | $54,833 |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $46,140 | $37,270 | $54,450 | 8,070 | $53,063 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $45,510 | $34,320 | $48,150 | 11,640 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For police and sheriff's patrol officers, the adjustment does not change the leader: California is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $107,370.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Police Officer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays police and sheriff's patrol officers the most?
California reports the highest median wage for police and sheriff's patrol officers at $118,880 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($102,080) and Illinois ($100,520).
Which state pays police and sheriff's patrol officers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for police and sheriff's patrol officers at $46,140 a year, $72,740 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $62,130 and Puerto Rico reports $45,510.
In which states do police and sheriff's patrol officers earn over $100,000?
3 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more: California ($118,880), Washington ($102,080) and Illinois ($100,520) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for police and sheriff's patrol officers after cost of living?
Yes. California stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $107,370 in national-average dollars from a raw $118,880. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.