States Where Police Officers Earn The Most Money
The national average annual wage of an 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:
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.
From Security Guard To Police Officer
While there are a fair number of employment opportunities, as you have seen in the information presented in this article, policy agencies hire only the most suitable candidates. So you need to do what you can to ensure that your application stands out from the rest.
Police agency recruiters advise applicants to significantly improve their chances of being selected through:
Job Description For Police Patrol Officer
Police Patrol Officer is responsible for patrolling an assigned area to prevent and discover crime and to enforce regulations. Responsible for responding to calls, taking necessary action at the scene of crime or disturbance, conducting investigations, making arrests, testifying in court, and completing reports/forms and routine paperwork. Being a Police Patrol Officer requires an associate degree in criminal justice and/or additional certifications and at least 12 to 18 months of law enforcement experience. Requires Firearms Certification. Additionally, Police Patrol Officer typically reports to a police sergeant. The Police Patrol Officer works under moderate supervision. Gaining or has attained full proficiency in a specific area of discipline. To be a Police Patrol Officer typically requires 1-3 years of related experience, or may need 0 years of experience with additional specialized training and/or certification. … View full job description
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The Application Process For Police Officer Candidates
It isnt easy becoming a police officer. Potential candidates need to go through a stringent application process designed to weed out those who dont have what it takes to become outstanding police officers.
Police officers help maintain peace and order and ensure that members of the community stay safe. This job comes with immense responsibility. The application process itself is not for everyone.
Canadian police agencies generally follow the same process which involves a series of tests, checks and interviews, including:
- A written exam
- A polygraph exam
- A background investigation
Some of these tests require detailed paperwork but minimal preparation. For some tests, like the physical tests, you would be best prepared if you did a fitness training program, prior to, depending on your fitness level. Other tests, like the polygraph exam, require no preparation at all.
Applicants can be declined at any point in the stages listed above and even if a candidate passes every stage, an offer of employment is not guaranteed.
Once you have completed all assessments, your entire application package is reviewed and measured against other applicants to determine the most suitable candidates for the role as a police officer.
If you are recruited, you can expect a conditional offer of employment that allows you to advance to the final step before you become a police officer: cadet training.
Police Overtime Pay Benefits And Pensions

When considering police salaries, it’s important to take into account police overtime, healthcare, sick time and vacation benefits, and police pensions.
Federal police receive much more generous health insurance and pension benefits than any other law enforcement personnel. Police officers usually work on holidays and have the option of receiving extra time off credits or overtime pay on those days. There may be other incentive compensation for fluency in a foreign language, holding an associate, bachelors, or masters degree, and attainment of special training certificates.
Detectives in particular earn significant amounts in overtime pay because of the extended hours they work. Uniformed patrol officers earn overtime pay for cases that require working past their usual off-duty time and for appearing to testify in court.
Other benefits that should be taken into account with police salaries are whether or not the agency will pay for additional training and coursework if officers want to go back to school and further their education in law enforcement work.
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How Much Money Do Federal Police Officers Make
Federal special agents for the FBI and other investigative agencies averaged $92,080. Federal agents receive special Law Enforcement Availability Pay and locality pay that varies with the geographic area where the agent is assigned. LEAP generally adds 25% to the agents base pay, and locality pay can add 16% to 25%.
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.
Here’s a look at the bottom-10 states for police officer salaries:
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.
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How Do Education Levels Affect Salaries
Displayed below is the average salary difference between different Police Officer who have the same experience but different education levels.
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Police Officer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Police Officer is 17,900 EUR per year.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 28,200 EUR per year, 57% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor’s Degree gets its holder an average salary of 47,200 EUR per year, 68% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
Tpd Benefits: Retirement & Compensation
Defined Benefits Retirement: Every officer is eligible for retirement benefits after 20 years of service, regardless of age. An officer becomes vested after 10 years of service. Benefits are 50% of an Officer’s salary averaged over the highest salaried 30 consecutive months of the last 60 months of credit service. For service beyond 20 years, benefits increase 2.5% annually to a maximum of 75% after 30 years. An officer who terminates before being vested is eligible to have contributions returned.
Deferred Compensation: A Deferred Compensation Program is available to full time employees to shelter a portion of the gross annual salary from income taxes. The deferred income is placed into an investment fund handled through the City.
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What Do Police Supervisors Earn
Throughout the law enforcement industry, the highest wages were paid to police supervisors, with a median annual wage of $92,970. The lowest 10% earned $52,610, while the top 10% pulled in $152,090.
Police chiefs can pull in even more, especially those working for major cities: San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr was the highest-paid cop in the nation in 2012, with annual pay reaching well over $300,000.
Will Police Salaries Increase
Police salaries are expected to grow at 5%, faster than most other occupations. As of 2020, there were 813,500 jobs in law enforcement in the U.S. Roughly 80% of those jobs were with local governments. State police agencies employed about 11%. Most police jobs are in cities with populations over 25,000. Small towns usually have less than 25 police officers.
This article, originally published October 2011, has been updated.
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Arms Of The Nigeria Police
- Administrative arm
- Force Intelligence Bureau
- DCI Kaduna Annex and Counter Terrorism Unit.
Note that a Nigerian police officers salary is dependent on his or her rank in the Nigerian Police and grade. That being said, we shall take it from the recruit to the Inspector General of Police and you will learn about new salaries of different ranks in the Nigeria police force.
Also with the new minimum wage increase from N18,000 to N30,000 recently by the president, it is expected that officers of the force should see an increase in their pay.
President Buhari announced recently that he has increased the salary of the police officers in the country. Please refer below for the new figures.
1. Police Recruit
2a. Police Constable Grade Level 03
Salary per month 43, 293.80
Annual Salary 519,525.6
2b. Police Constable Grade Level 10
Salary per month 51,113.59
3a. Police Corporal On Grade 04
Salary per month 44,715.53
3b. Police Corporal On Grade Level 04
Salary per month- 51,113.59
4a. Police Sergeant On Grade 05
Salary per month 48,540.88
4b. Police Sergeant On Grade 05
Salary per month 55,973.84
5a. A Sergeant Major On Grade 06
Salary per month 55,144.81
5b. Sergent Major On Grade 06
Salary per month 62,204.88
6a. Cadet Inspector On Grade Level 07
Salary per month 73,231.51
6b. Cadet Inspector On Grade 07
Salary per month 87,135.70
7a. Assistant Superintendent Of Police On Grade 08
Salary per month 127,604.68
Salary per month 144,152.07
Do Police Promotions Increase Salaries

Police salaries increase with promotion and officers usually become eligible to move up anywhere from six months to three years after entering the force.
In bigger police departments, officers often move up to detective work or other specialties that garner higher salaries. Getting promoted to the higher positions of sergeant, lieutenant or captain involves moving up the ranks one rank at a time.
While a college degree may not be required for entry-level police work, you’ll find that having one not only nets you more money right off the bat, but it also makes it easier for you to be promoted into a higher pay grade over the course of your career.
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Psychological And Medical Testing
Psychological testing
Applicants who progress to the final stages of the recruitment process will be scheduled for psychological testing. Testing consists of a 2 to 4 hour written test followed by a one on one interview with a Psychologist.
Medical testing
Applicants will be scheduled for medical testing which includes a test for illegal drugs.
France / All Professions
The term ‘Annual Salary Increase’ usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
How to calculate the salary increment percentage?
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
7%
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Federal Police Force Salary & Benefits
If youre interested in the federal police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police offers new hires $53,144/year with an incremental increase to $86,110 within 3 years of employment. Benefits include paid vacation days, an RCMP pension plan, medical, dental and family health plans and group life insurance. The RCMP also offers generous maternity and parental allowances as well as financial support for continuing education and professional development opportunities.
Career Progression And Salaries
Some of the benefits of a career as a police officer with SA Police are the opportunity and job security that our structured career progression program offers. Outlined below are the career pathways available to our officers and the salaries offered for each rank.
Rank | |
---|---|
$183,839 |
The above rates are valid as of 1 January 2021. Shift allowances are paid in addition to normal salaries.
This structured framework allows us to support your career progression with SA Police, assisting you to qualify to the ranks of senior constable to superintendent. Your annual salary is based on your length of service, qualifications and achieved rank.
The Centre for Leader Development at the police academy provides integrated training programs for leadership, supervision and management, fostering your continuous learning and development.
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How Long Does It Take To Become A Police Officer
The process of becoming a police officer requires a significant investment of your time. The duration varies and depends on how quickly and accurately an individual completes the forms and assessments. This also depends on the police agency you apply at.
The CPS states that their process takes between 3-6 months to complete. The RCMP doesnt provide a set duration for the entire process their cadet training takes 26 weeks. At the VPD, the recruit training alone takes up to 44 weeks in total.
Generally, you can expect to set aside 6 months for your application process. We recommend that you contact the police agency that youre interested in to find out how long their process takes from start to finish.
Police Patrol Officersalary In Reserve Mt
How much does a Police Patrol Officer make in Reserve, MT? The average Police Patrol Officer salary in Reserve, MT is $55,268 as of October 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $51,625 and $60,195. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Percentile | |
10th Percentile Police Patrol Officer Salary | $48,309 |
25th Percentile Police Patrol Officer Salary | $51,625 |
50th Percentile Police Patrol Officer Salary | $55,268 |
75th Percentile Police Patrol Officer Salary | $60,195 |
90th Percentile Police Patrol Officer Salary | $64,680 |
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How Much Money Does A Police Officer Make In Czech Republic
Average Monthly Salary56,000
A person working as a Police Officer in Czech Republic typically earns around 35,200 CZK per month. Salaries range from 16,200 CZK to 56,000 CZK .
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Police Officer salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
The Median The Maximum The Minimum And The Range

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Salary Range
Police Officer salaries in France range from 13,900 EUR per year to 47,900 EUR per year .
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Median Salary
The median salary is 32,500 EUR per year, which means that half of people working as Police Officer are earning less than 32,500 EUR while the other half are earning more than 32,500 EUR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
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Percentiles
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Police Officer are earning less than 20,900 EUR while 75% of them are earning more than 20,900 EUR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Police Officer are earning less than 43,400 EUR while 25% are earning more than 43,400 EUR.
What is the difference between the median and the average salary?
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
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