Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Salary in Colorado
SOC 33-3051 · Colorado · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$97,365
$46.81/hr
27.8% higher than the US national median ($76,211)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Colorado in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$65K
P25$77K
P50$97K
P75$103K
P90$109K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
⚡
Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.3% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $97,365 to $102,627 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role fell 0.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
the broader market is running a 4.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.4 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.1M (4.3% rate); hires 5.2M, separations 5.1M, quits steady at 1.9%. July openings revised up 64K to 7.3M.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.3M (4.4% rate), but hires fell to 5.1M and separations to 5.1M. Quits slipped to 1.9%. June openings revised down to 7.2M.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The median salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Colorado is $97,365 per year ($46.81/hr). This is 27.8% higher than the national median of $76,211.
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.
Wage Percentiles: Colorado
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$31.41
$65,333
+37.5%
P25
$36.85
$76,648
+29.3%
P50MEDIAN
$46.81
$97,365
+27.8%
P75
$49.34
$102,627
+5.1%
P90Top earners
$52.55
$109,304
-5.1%
How Colorado compares for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Colorado is above national (+37.5%) at entry but below national (-5.1%) at the top, so local pay sits relatively lower toward the senior end of the range.
An offer at the national median of $76,211 would sit at about the 24th percentile in Colorado.
The top of the range earns 1.67 times the bottom here against 2.42 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Colorado.
Colorado employs 9,610 people in this role, 1.4% of the national total.
No credit card required · 770+ occupations · 393 metros
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median police and sheriff's patrol officers salary in Colorado?
The median (P50) annual salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Colorado is approximately $97,365, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 27.8% higher than the national median of $76,211. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
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.
