Transit and Railroad Police
Median $90,230
Occupation · SOC 33-3051
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers: pay and where the jobs are
What police and sheriff's patrol officers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$76,210 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $79,200
- Median hourly wage
- $36.64
- Mean hourly wage
- $38.08
- Employment
- 670,520
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3051.
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See where your pay falls among police and sheriff's patrol officers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do police and sheriff's patrol officers make?
The median annual wage for police and sheriff's patrol officers was $76,210 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $47,510 and the highest-paid 10% more than $115,120. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.64. About 670,520 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($118,880), Washington ($102,080) and Illinois ($100,520). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for police and sheriff's patrol officers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,510 | $22.84 | $3,959 | $3,363 |
| 25th percentile | $59,290 | $28.50 | $4,941 | $4,152 |
| Median | $76,210 | $36.64 | $6,351 | $5,204 |
| 75th percentile | $97,600 | $46.93 | $8,133 | $6,458 |
| 90th percentile | $115,120 | $55.35 | $9,593 | $7,485 |
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$76,492 take-home in national prices
2
$75,963 take-home in national prices
3
$74,746 take-home in national prices
Where a median police and sheriff's patrol officer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 65,940 | $118,880 | $76,300 | $153,190 | $84,106 | $75,963 |
| Washington | 9,160 | $102,080 | $79,120 | $132,200 | $79,227 | $74,035 |
| Illinois | 29,180 | $100,520 | $58,420 | $119,560 | $74,715 | $74,746 |
| Alaska | 1,260 | $99,130 | $60,670 | $137,340 | $78,297 | $76,492 |
| Colorado | 9,610 | $97,350 | $65,340 | $109,300 | $73,312 | $71,141 |
| Delaware | 1,800 | $92,970 | $62,470 | $130,870 | $69,067 | $69,200 |
| New York | 53,470 | $92,790 | $53,000 | $118,250 | $69,241 | $64,159 |
| New Jersey | 21,780 | $92,610 | $57,740 | $134,260 | $69,692 | $64,053 |
| District of Columbia | 4,720 | $88,650 | $66,420 | $119,660 | $66,629 | $60,626 |
| Oregon | 5,030 | $88,140 | $66,380 | $109,350 | $64,198 | $62,110 |
| Pennsylvania | 26,510 | $85,470 | $48,680 | $109,780 | $66,274 | $67,924 |
| Hawaii | 2,420 | $83,820 | $77,480 | $108,110 | $62,841 | $57,153 |
| Minnesota | 9,160 | $83,360 | $60,670 | $106,160 | $62,962 | $63,842 |
| Connecticut | 6,500 | $82,170 | $63,310 | $102,660 | $62,456 | $60,280 |
| Massachusetts | 17,040 | $78,940 | $61,160 | $108,150 | $60,274 | $56,993 |
| Arizona | 12,010 | $78,880 | $60,990 | $98,560 | $62,744 | $62,322 |
| Nevada | 5,720 | $78,140 | $62,250 | $102,810 | $63,801 | $63,815 |
| Wisconsin | 12,320 | $78,090 | $58,530 | $94,450 | $60,639 | $64,445 |
| Maryland | 9,720 | $77,970 | $58,580 | $113,700 | $60,344 | $57,493 |
| Utah | 5,500 | $77,310 | $60,290 | $99,920 | $59,975 | $60,664 |
| Rhode Island | 1,940 | $77,230 | $59,020 | $91,760 | $60,033 | $58,694 |
| Ohio | 23,430 | $77,020 | $51,110 | $103,210 | $61,339 | $66,117 |
| Texas | 63,100 | $75,900 | $51,240 | $98,350 | $62,226 | $64,112 |
| Nebraska | 3,490 | $74,620 | $54,680 | $95,210 | $58,810 | $65,269 |
| North Dakota | 1,630 | $74,500 | $58,620 | $91,440 | $61,047 | $68,624 |
| Florida | 43,630 | $74,470 | $51,330 | $98,190 | $61,220 | $59,199 |
| Iowa | 5,130 | $74,470 | $59,360 | $101,520 | $59,042 | $67,275 |
| Michigan | 16,750 | $73,730 | $47,780 | $89,220 | $57,816 | $60,089 |
| Indiana | 12,980 | $73,370 | $52,170 | $100,010 | $58,311 | $62,479 |
| New Hampshire | 2,460 | $71,640 | $57,930 | $89,940 | $59,229 | $56,861 |
| Montana | 2,160 | $70,050 | $55,330 | $84,150 | $55,513 | $58,654 |
| New Mexico | 4,580 | $69,180 | $48,400 | $85,740 | $55,412 | $60,092 |
| Vermont | 1,020 | $68,910 | $53,950 | $95,530 | $55,264 | $56,416 |
| Maine | 2,120 | $67,050 | $55,930 | $91,270 | $52,816 | $54,422 |
| Idaho | 2,810 | $66,990 | $48,840 | $97,980 | $53,515 | $56,040 |
| Wyoming | 1,310 | $66,140 | $57,130 | $76,840 | $55,323 | $59,686 |
| Virginia | 19,970 | $65,870 | $50,000 | $96,820 | $52,133 | $51,564 |
| Guam | 540 | $62,130 | $36,590 | $98,030 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 2,000 | $60,740 | $47,540 | $91,900 | $50,985 | $57,554 |
| Kentucky | 7,890 | $60,490 | $38,780 | $77,970 | $48,784 | $54,109 |
| Oklahoma | 9,660 | $59,700 | $36,480 | $94,940 | $48,008 | $54,652 |
| Missouri | 13,570 | $59,460 | $43,210 | $90,770 | $48,099 | $52,962 |
| North Carolina | 22,370 | $59,300 | $46,040 | $80,240 | $47,970 | $50,856 |
| Tennessee | 15,630 | $59,280 | $43,520 | $79,480 | $49,811 | $54,220 |
| Kansas | 6,130 | $59,230 | $42,040 | $90,530 | $47,266 | $52,478 |
| Georgia | 22,170 | $58,120 | $43,690 | $76,250 | $46,728 | $48,527 |
| South Carolina | 12,930 | $58,070 | $45,060 | $78,760 | $47,305 | $50,459 |
| West Virginia | 2,900 | $56,960 | $41,950 | $69,980 | $46,210 | $51,633 |
| Alabama | 11,710 | $51,270 | $37,480 | $77,220 | $41,251 | $46,441 |
| Louisiana | 12,400 | $48,380 | $36,470 | $69,140 | $39,988 | $45,334 |
| Arkansas | 5,710 | $47,670 | $35,210 | $70,190 | $39,207 | $45,098 |
| Mississippi | 8,070 | $46,140 | $33,230 | $61,550 | $38,140 | $43,863 |
| Puerto Rico | 11,640 | $45,510 | $30,500 | $50,240 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.