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.
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 Puerto Rico at $45,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $76,210. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $118,880
- National median
- $76,210
- Lowest median
- $45,510
- States reporting
- 53
California
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
- 1. California$118,880 median · $107,370 adjusted · 65,940 employed
- 2. Washington$102,080 median · $95,390 adjusted · 9,160 employed
- 3. Illinois$100,520 median · $100,562 adjusted · 29,180 employed
- 4. Alaska$99,130 median · $96,845 adjusted · 1,260 employed
- 5. Colorado$97,350 median · $94,467 adjusted · 9,610 employed
Lowest-paying states for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
- 53. Puerto Rico$45,510 median · no price parity · 11,640 employed
- 52. Mississippi$46,140 median · $53,063 adjusted · 8,070 employed
- 51. Arkansas$47,670 median · $54,833 adjusted · 5,710 employed
- 50. Louisiana$48,380 median · $54,848 adjusted · 12,400 employed
- 49. Alabama$51,270 median · $57,722 adjusted · 11,710 employed
Police Officer salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $118,880 | $97,280 | $126,780 | 65,940 | $107,370 |
| 2 | Washington | $102,080 | $92,930 | $118,480 | 9,160 | $95,390 |
| 3 | Illinois | $100,520 | $76,480 | $107,810 | 29,180 | $100,562 |
| 4 | Alaska | $99,130 | $78,810 | $126,480 | 1,260 | $96,845 |
| 5 | Colorado | $97,350 | $76,640 | $102,620 | 9,610 | $94,467 |
| 6 | Delaware | $92,970 | $75,550 | $102,530 | 1,800 | $93,149 |
| 7 | New York | $92,790 | $57,180 | $107,080 | 53,470 | $85,980 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $92,610 | $67,070 | $117,800 | 21,780 | $85,116 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $88,650 | $77,210 | $107,360 | 4,720 | $80,664 |
| 10 | Oregon | $88,140 | $78,170 | $98,650 | 5,030 | $85,274 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $85,470 | $63,080 | $96,970 | 26,510 | $87,597 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $83,820 | $82,640 | $108,110 | 2,420 | $76,234 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $83,360 | $75,750 | $98,430 | 9,160 | $84,526 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $82,170 | $77,500 | $93,520 | 6,500 | $79,307 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $78,940 | $71,970 | $97,390 | 17,040 | $74,643 |
| 16 | Arizona | $78,880 | $68,550 | $96,800 | 12,010 | $78,350 |
| 17 | Nevada | $78,140 | $76,010 | $101,260 | 5,720 | $78,156 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $78,090 | $67,450 | $84,850 | 12,320 | $82,991 |
| 19 | Maryland | $77,970 | $66,300 | $95,990 | 9,720 | $74,286 |
| 20 | Utah | $77,310 | $64,520 | $94,150 | 5,500 | $78,198 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $77,230 | $69,370 | $91,620 | 1,940 | $75,508 |
| 22 | Ohio | $77,020 | $62,700 | $90,390 | 23,430 | $83,019 |
| 23 | Texas | $75,900 | $61,240 | $93,800 | 63,100 | $78,201 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $74,620 | $63,170 | $93,480 | 3,490 | $82,816 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $74,500 | $62,670 | $78,050 | 1,630 | $83,746 |
| 26 | Florida | $74,470 | $60,520 | $93,460 | 43,630 | $72,012 |
| 27 | Iowa | $74,470 | $63,810 | $86,160 | 5,130 | $84,854 |
| 28 | Michigan | $73,730 | $60,410 | $80,170 | 16,750 | $76,629 |
| 29 | Indiana | $73,370 | $60,710 | $84,820 | 12,980 | $78,614 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $71,640 | $61,480 | $77,010 | 2,460 | $68,776 |
| 31 | Montana | $70,050 | $59,860 | $77,500 | 2,160 | $74,013 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $69,180 | $58,870 | $73,430 | 4,580 | $75,023 |
| 33 | Vermont | $68,910 | $59,680 | $79,080 | 1,020 | $70,346 |
| 34 | Maine | $67,050 | $61,230 | $76,550 | 2,120 | $69,088 |
| 35 | Idaho | $66,990 | $58,090 | $83,560 | 2,810 | $70,151 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $66,140 | $59,640 | $73,650 | 1,310 | $71,355 |
| 37 | Virginia | $65,870 | $58,140 | $78,480 | 19,970 | $65,151 |
| 38 | Guam | $62,130 | $47,150 | $85,430 | 540 | N/A |
| 39 | South Dakota | $60,740 | $52,330 | $72,000 | 2,000 | $68,566 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $60,490 | $47,940 | $68,990 | 7,890 | $67,093 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $59,700 | $45,250 | $78,580 | 9,660 | $67,962 |
| 42 | Missouri | $59,460 | $46,760 | $75,930 | 13,570 | $65,472 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $59,300 | $49,460 | $72,700 | 22,370 | $62,867 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $59,280 | $48,710 | $75,410 | 15,630 | $64,526 |
| 45 | Kansas | $59,230 | $48,670 | $71,950 | 6,130 | $65,761 |
| 46 | Georgia | $58,120 | $48,290 | $63,270 | 22,170 | $60,357 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $58,070 | $48,570 | $68,190 | 12,930 | $61,942 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $56,960 | $48,950 | $61,330 | 2,900 | $63,645 |
| 49 | Alabama | $51,270 | $44,260 | $63,090 | 11,710 | $57,722 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $48,380 | $43,090 | $59,440 | 12,400 | $54,848 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $47,670 | $40,100 | $56,720 | 5,710 | $54,833 |
| 52 | Mississippi | $46,140 | $37,270 | $54,450 | 8,070 | $53,063 |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $45,510 | $34,320 | $48,150 | 11,640 | N/A |
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, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $118,880, while California leads 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.
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers at $45,510 a year, $73,370 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts California first at $107,370 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $118,880. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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