Police & Sheriff’s Patrol Officers: pay by state
National median: $76,210/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$47,510 25th percentile$59,290 Median$76,210 75th percentile$97,600 90th percentile$115,120
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 670,520. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A police officer earning the median $118,880 in California needs about $104,275 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $75,900 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median police officer earns $76,210 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $118,880 in California down to $46,140 in Mississippi — a spread of 158% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $47,510 to $115,120. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, California offers the strongest real pay ($107,389 in national-average terms).
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 65,940 | $76,300 | $118,880 | $153,190 | 110.7 | $107,389 |
| 2 | Illinois | 29,180 | $58,420 | $100,520 | $119,560 | 100.0 | $100,520 |
| 3 | Alaska | 1,260 | $60,670 | $99,130 | $137,340 | 102.4 | $96,807 |
| 4 | Washington | 9,160 | $79,120 | $102,080 | $132,200 | 107.0 | $95,402 |
| 5 | Colorado | 9,610 | $65,340 | $97,350 | $109,300 | 103.1 | $94,423 |
| 6 | Delaware | 1,800 | $62,470 | $92,970 | $130,870 | 99.8 | $93,156 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 26,510 | $48,680 | $85,470 | $109,780 | 97.6 | $87,572 |
| 8 | New York | 53,470 | $53,000 | $92,790 | $118,250 | 107.9 | $85,996 |
| 9 | Oregon | 5,030 | $66,380 | $88,140 | $109,350 | 103.4 | $85,242 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 21,780 | $57,740 | $92,610 | $134,260 | 108.8 | $85,119 |
| 11 | Iowa | 5,130 | $59,360 | $74,470 | $101,520 | 87.8 | $84,818 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 9,160 | $60,670 | $83,360 | $106,160 | 98.6 | $84,544 |
| 13 | North Dakota | 1,630 | $58,620 | $74,500 | $91,440 | 89.0 | $83,708 |
| 14 | Ohio | 23,430 | $51,110 | $77,020 | $103,210 | 92.8 | $82,996 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 12,320 | $58,530 | $78,090 | $94,450 | 94.1 | $82,986 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 3,490 | $54,680 | $74,620 | $95,210 | 90.1 | $82,819 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | 4,720 | $66,420 | $88,650 | $119,660 | 109.9 | $80,664 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 6,500 | $63,310 | $82,170 | $102,660 | 103.6 | $79,315 |
| 19 | Indiana | 12,980 | $52,170 | $73,370 | $100,010 | 93.3 | $78,639 |
| 20 | Arizona | 12,010 | $60,990 | $78,880 | $98,560 | 100.7 | $78,332 |
| 21 | Utah | 5,500 | $60,290 | $77,310 | $99,920 | 98.9 | $78,170 |
| 22 | Texas | 63,100 | $51,240 | $75,900 | $98,350 | 97.1 | $78,167 |
| 23 | Nevada | 5,720 | $62,250 | $78,140 | $102,810 | 100.0 | $78,140 |
| 24 | Michigan | 16,750 | $47,780 | $73,730 | $89,220 | 96.2 | $76,642 |
| 25 | Hawaii | 2,420 | $77,480 | $83,820 | $108,110 | 110.0 | $76,200 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | 1,940 | $59,020 | $77,230 | $91,760 | 102.3 | $75,494 |
| 27 | New Mexico | 4,580 | $48,400 | $69,180 | $85,740 | 92.2 | $75,033 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | 17,040 | $61,160 | $78,940 | $108,150 | 105.8 | $74,612 |
| 29 | Maryland | 9,720 | $58,580 | $77,970 | $113,700 | 105.0 | $74,257 |
| 30 | Montana | 2,160 | $55,330 | $70,050 | $84,150 | 94.6 | $74,049 |
| 31 | Florida | 43,630 | $51,330 | $74,470 | $98,190 | 103.4 | $72,021 |
| 32 | Wyoming | 1,310 | $57,130 | $66,140 | $76,840 | 92.7 | $71,348 |
| 33 | Vermont | 1,020 | $53,950 | $68,910 | $95,530 | 98.0 | $70,316 |
| 34 | Idaho | 2,810 | $48,840 | $66,990 | $97,980 | 95.5 | $70,147 |
| 35 | Maine | 2,120 | $55,930 | $67,050 | $91,270 | 97.1 | $69,053 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 2,460 | $57,930 | $71,640 | $89,940 | 104.2 | $68,752 |
| 37 | South Dakota | 2,000 | $47,540 | $60,740 | $91,900 | 88.6 | $68,555 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 9,660 | $36,480 | $59,700 | $94,940 | 87.8 | $67,995 |
| 39 | Kentucky | 7,890 | $38,780 | $60,490 | $77,970 | 90.2 | $67,062 |
| 40 | Kansas | 6,130 | $42,040 | $59,230 | $90,530 | 90.1 | $65,738 |
| 41 | Missouri | 13,570 | $43,210 | $59,460 | $90,770 | 90.8 | $65,485 |
| 42 | Virginia | 19,970 | $50,000 | $65,870 | $96,820 | 101.1 | $65,153 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 15,630 | $43,520 | $59,280 | $79,480 | 91.9 | $64,505 |
| 44 | West Virginia | 2,900 | $41,950 | $56,960 | $69,980 | 89.5 | $63,642 |
| 45 | North Carolina | 22,370 | $46,040 | $59,300 | $80,240 | 94.3 | $62,884 |
| 46 | South Carolina | 12,930 | $45,060 | $58,070 | $78,760 | 93.7 | $61,974 |
| 47 | Georgia | 22,170 | $43,690 | $58,120 | $76,250 | 96.3 | $60,353 |
| 48 | Alabama | 11,710 | $37,480 | $51,270 | $77,220 | 88.8 | $57,736 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 5,710 | $35,210 | $47,670 | $70,190 | 86.9 | $54,856 |
| 50 | Louisiana | 12,400 | $36,470 | $48,380 | $69,140 | 88.2 | $54,853 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 8,070 | $33,230 | $46,140 | $61,550 | 87.0 | $53,034 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data