May 2025 OEWS estimate
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officer Salary in the United States
The national median annual salary is $76,210. This page compares official BLS estimates across 44 major metro areas with publishable data.
Wage overview
Official BLS estimates; hourly values are shown only when BLS publishes them.
Median annual salary
$76,210
Mean annual salary
$79,200
Employment estimate
670,520
Annual salary percentiles
BLS wage thresholds from the 10th to the 90th percentile. Values are annual, the scale starts at $0, and P50 is the median.
| Percentile | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| P10 — 10th percentile | $47,510 |
| P25 — lower quartile | $59,290 |
| P50 — median | $76,210 |
| P75 — upper quartile | $97,600 |
| P90 — 90th percentile | $115,120 |
Median hourly wage
$36.64/hr
Mean hourly wage
$38.08/hr
Employment estimate
670,520
Hourly wage percentiles
BLS hourly wage thresholds from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The scale starts at $0; P50 is the median.
| Percentile | Hourly wage |
|---|---|
| P10 — 10th percentile | $22.84/hr |
| P25 — lower quartile | $28.50/hr |
| P50 — median | $36.64/hr |
| P75 — upper quartile | $46.93/hr |
| P90 — 90th percentile | $55.35/hr |
Median salary distribution across covered metros
These values summarize the 44 metros published on this site, not every U.S. metro.
- Lowest covered median
- $48,710
- Middle covered median
- $79,325
- Highest covered median
- $136,140
Highest-paying metros in this dataset
Ranked by annual median salary on a zero-based scale. This is not a cost-of-living or quality-of-life ranking.
| Rank | Metro or occupation | Annual median |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | San Jose, CA | $136,140 |
| #2 | San Francisco, CA | $132,000 |
| #3 | Los Angeles, CA | $121,980 |
| #4 | Seattle, WA | $115,120 |
| #5 | Sacramento, CA | $111,460 |
| #6 | Chicago, IL | $107,810 |
| #7 | New York, NY | $105,540 |
| #8 | Denver, CO | $101,970 |
| #9 | Riverside, CA | $101,870 |
| #10 | Columbus, OH | $100,890 |
Largest employment markets
BLS employment estimates for the covered metros where employment is published.
| Rank | Employment market | Estimated employment |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York, NY | 54,270 |
| #2 | Los Angeles, CA | 24,720 |
| #3 | Chicago, IL | 22,680 |
| #4 | Dallas, TX | 16,430 |
| #5 | Houston, TX | 16,250 |
| #6 | Miami, FL | 14,710 |
| #7 | Washington, DC | 14,630 |
| #8 | Philadelphia, PA | 13,160 |
| #9 | Boston, MA | 11,440 |
| #10 | Atlanta, GA | 11,310 |