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The national median salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is $76,211 per year ($36.64/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $59,280 and $97,614 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $115,128 per year. There are approximately 670,520 police and sheriff's patrol officers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
54K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
699K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
574K
$75,920
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
57K
$88,400
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
14K
$63,280
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
12K
$75,130
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
7K
$61,510
Wage range across top 5 industries: $61,510 to $88,400 (44% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.84
$47,507
P25
$28.50
$59,280
P50MEDIAN
$36.64
$76,211
P75
$46.93
$97,614
P90
$55.35
$115,128
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average police and sheriff's patrol officers salary?
The national median salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is $76,211 per year ($36.64/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $59,280 and $97,614 annually.
How much do top-earning police and sheriff's patrol officers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is $115,128 per year ($55.35/hr). The 75th percentile is $97,614 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for police and sheriff's patrol officers?
Entry-level Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (10th percentile) earn approximately $47,507 per year ($22.84/hr). The 25th percentile is $59,280 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.