Forbes looked at the average salary for police officers in every U.S. state, both current wages and over the last five years. They used the latest occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Despite the risks and specialization required for these jobs, often times police officers do not earn the kind of money commensurate with the critical responsibilities they take on, noted Forbes.
However, that is something well-known in law enforcement circles. Most cops get into the business as a “calling,” not due to pay and benefits.
10 States Where Police Officers Earn the Most Money
The national average annual wage of a police officer is $67,600, according to the BLS, a little over $15,000 more than average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. Depending on the state, however, the average salary of a police officer can vary significantly. Police officer wages are heavily dependent on the cost of living in each state.
Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for police officers, according to Forbes:
- California average police officer salary: $105,220
- Alaska average police officer salary: $87,870
- New Jersey average police officer salary: $86,840
- Washington average police officer salary: $80,200
- Hawaii average police officer salary: $78,720
- Illinois average police officer salary: $78,350
- New York average police officer salary: $77,490
- Colorado average police officer salary: $75,720
- Delaware average police officer salary: $73,740
- Nevada average police officer salary: $73,660
In California, the average salary for police officers is over $37,000 more than the national average, $105,220 vs. $67,600. The gap between the No. 1 best-paying state, California, and the No. 2 state, Alaska, is substantial compared to the overall ranking. In California, police officers, on average, earn over $17,000 more than their counterparts in Alaska.
10 States Where Police Officers Earn the Least Money
The bottom-10 states where police officers make the least money are heavily concentrated in the U.S. South, where cost of living is lower compared to the nation overall. In Mississippi, the lowest-paying state, police officers earn over $31,000 less than the national average wage. It should be noted, however, that only 16 states have police officer salaries that are higher than the national average, Forbes reported.
Here’s a look at the bottom-10 states for police officer salaries:
- Mississippi average police officer salary: $36,290
- Arkansas average police officer salary: $40,570
- Louisiana average police officer salary: $42,470
- South Carolina average police officer salary: $43,520
- West Virginia average police officer salary: $44,450
- Georgia average police officer salary: $44,700
- Tennessee average police officer salary: $45,370
- Alabama average police officer salary: $46,510
- Kentucky average police officer salary: $46,720
- North Carolina average police officer salary: $47,340
Fortunately for these states, salaries are improving over the years. From 2014 to 2019, the average annual wage for a police officer in Mississippi increased by nearly 11%, from $32,740 to $36,290. Still, for such a hazardous line of work, even in a state with cheap cost of living, these average wages are quite low.
How Much Do Police Officers Make in Each State
Below you’ll find the average annual wage for Police officers in all 50 states based on the latest data, from May 2019, according to the BLS.
The state with the biggest growth in police officer salaries over the last five years is Hawaii. The average police officer salary there grew by 31.3% from 2014 to 2019, from $59,950 to $78,720. California, the highest-paying state, has seen police officer salaries increase by a little over 20% over the same period.
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