Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Salary
Protective Service Occupations · 671K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$76,210
Median hourly
$37
Average annual
$79,200
Typical range
$47,510–$115,120
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is $76,210 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $37 an hour at a full-time schedule.
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.
Most earn between $47,510 and $115,120 a year. There are roughly 671K people employed as police and sheriff's patrol officers in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers.
- Hourly
- $36.64
- Daily
- $293
- Weekly
- $1,466
- Bi-weekly
- $2,931
- Monthly
- $6,351
- Annual
- $76,210
$76,210 a year is around the 50th percentile for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officerss. The median is $76,210.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1California$118,880
- 2Washington$102,080
- 3Illinois$100,520
- 4Alaska$99,130
- 5Colorado$97,350
- 6Delaware$92,970
- 7New York$92,790
- 8New Jersey$92,610
- 9District of Columbia$88,650
- 10Oregon$88,140
- 11Pennsylvania$85,470
- 12Hawaii$83,820
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$136,140
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$132,000
- 3Carson City, NV$131,210
- 4Vallejo, CA$129,900
- 5Napa, CA$127,310
- 6Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$125,910
- 7Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$122,970
- 8Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$121,980
- 9Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$120,900
- 10Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$119,640
- 11Salinas, CA$118,220
- 12Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$115,120
Related job titles
Employers advertise Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers roles under these titles.
- Accident Prevention Squad Police Officer
- Agriculture Specialist
- Air Import Specialist
- Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent (ALE Agent)
- Animal Cop
- Border Guard
- Border Patrol Agent
- Border Patrol Officer
- Campus Police Officer
- Canine Deputy (K-9 Deputy)
- Canine Enforcement Officer (K-9 Enforcement Officer)
- Canine Handler (K-9 Handler)
- Canine Police Officer (K-9 Police Officer)
- Certified Police Officer
- City Constable
- City Marshal
Related occupations
- Compliance Officers$80,730
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators$93,790
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$76,210
- Transit and Railroad Police$90,230
- Bailiffs$56,600
- Correctional Officers and Jailers$58,940
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$66,270
What a Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers does
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
- Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.
- Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers make?
- The median annual wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is $76,210 ($37 per hour). Pay ranges from about $47,510 at the 10th percentile to $115,120 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $79,200, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officerss the most?
- California has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $118,880.
- Is Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 671K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers do?
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.; Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.; Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities..