How Much Police Officers Get Paid in Every State
Police departments have been under pressure to rethink their funding for the past few years. In states where police budgets are not in question, some are actually trying to drum up more funds to increase the number of officers they hire.
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This renewed focus on police budgets has been centered on where and how money is spent, and what returns it might or might not be providing. As a result, the salaries earned by cops have also been put under the microscope.
A closer look at police pay in America, however, suggests that excessive police salaries are not as big of an issue as people may believe. In fact, only a handful of major police departments in the country have a median salary that exceeds the national average — indicating that while police departments might be receiving too much money, rank-and-file officers are likely not getting the same treatment.
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, GOBankingRates looked into how much police officers get paid in every state, and found important data such as employment per 1,000 jobs, hourly median wage and annual median wage.
Here’s a closer look at how much police officers are paid across America.
Alabama
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 6.219
Median hourly wage: $24.53
Median annual pay: $51,030
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Alaska
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.105
Median hourly wage: $43.30
Median annual pay: $90,060
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Arizona
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.018
Median hourly wage: $36.76
Median annual pay: $76,450
Arkansas
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.145
Median hourly wage: $21.30
Median annual pay: $44,300
California
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.79
Median hourly wage: $54.55
Median annual pay: $113,460
Colorado
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.513
Median hourly wage: $42.50
Median annual pay: $88,400
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Connecticut
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.008
Median hourly wage: $41.03
Median annual pay: $85,340
Delaware
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.689
Median hourly wage: $39.62
Median annual pay: $82,410
Florida
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.02
Median hourly wage: $32.81
Median annual pay: $68,240
Georgia
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.913
Median hourly wage: $25.83
Median annual pay: $53,730
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Hawaii
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.856
Median hourly wage: $42.42
Median annual pay: $88,230
Idaho
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.617
Median hourly wage: $30.34
Median annual pay: $63,110
Illinois
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.082
Median hourly wage: $47.32
Median annual pay: $98,430
Indiana
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.939
Median hourly wage: $31.89
Median annual pay: $66,320
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Iowa
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.183
Median hourly wage: $33.30
Median annual pay: $69,270
Kansas
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.138
Median hourly wage: $25.56
Median annual pay: $53,170
Kentucky
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.658
Median hourly wage: $24.27
Median annual pay: $50,470
Louisiana
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 6.844
Median hourly wage: $22.98
Median annual pay: $47,800
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Maine
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.201
Median hourly wage: $29.94
Median annual pay: $62,280
Maryland
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.539
Median hourly wage: $36.28
Median annual pay: $75,460
Massachusetts
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.641
Median hourly wage: $36.40
Median annual pay: $75,700
Michigan
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.646
Median hourly wage: $33.29
Median annual pay: $69,240
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Minnesota
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.238
Median hourly wage: $40.42
Median annual pay: $84,080
Mississippi
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 6.429
Median hourly wage: $19.75
Median annual pay: $41,080
Missouri
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.544
Median hourly wage: $27.16
Median annual pay: $56,480
Montana
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.24
Median hourly wage: $30.68
Median annual pay: $63,810
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Nebraska
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.831
Median hourly wage: $31.73
Median annual pay: $66,000
Nevada
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.926
Median hourly wage: $38.81
Median annual pay: $80,730
New Hampshire
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.04
Median hourly wage: $30.65
Median annual pay: $63,750
New Jersey
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.076
Median hourly wage: $44.16
Median annual pay: $91,850
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New Mexico
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.424
Median hourly wage: $30.21
Median annual pay: $62,840
New York
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.036
Median hourly wage: $41.09
Median annual pay: $85,460
North Carolina
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.442
Median hourly wage: $25.18
Median annual pay: $52,380
North Dakota
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.134
Median hourly wage: $32.24
Median annual pay: $67,060
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Ohio
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.081
Median hourly wage: $35.72
Median annual pay: $74,300
Oklahoma
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.054
Median hourly wage: $25.89
Median annual pay: $53,850
Oregon
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 2.475
Median hourly wage: $40.08
Median annual pay: $83,360
Pennsylvania
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.317
Median hourly wage: $41.05
Median annual pay: $85,390
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Rhode Island
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.872
Median hourly wage: $36.57
Median annual pay: $76,060
South Carolina
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 5.548
Median hourly wage: $24.22
Median annual pay: $50,380
South Dakota
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.177
Median hourly wage: $26.63
Median annual pay: $55,390
Tennessee
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.955
Median hourly wage: $25.00
Median annual pay: $52,000
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Texas
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.26
Median hourly wage: $35.58
Median annual pay: $74,010
Utah
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 3.168
Median hourly wage: $32.47
Median annual pay: $67,540
Vermont
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 2.932
Median hourly wage: $31.61
Median annual pay: $65,760
Virginia
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.489
Median hourly wage: $29.80
Median annual pay: $61,980
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Washington
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 2.489
Median hourly wage: $47.84
Median annual pay: $99,510
West Virginia
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.993
Median hourly wage: $24.31
Median annual pay: $50,560
Wisconsin
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.218
Median hourly wage: $37.04
Median annual pay: $77,040
Wyoming
Employment per 1,000 jobs: 4.213
Median hourly wage: $30.82
Median annual pay: $64,100
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed occupational data for police officers for each state in the United States to find how much police officers make across the country. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, a number of factors can be found including; total statewide employment, employment per 1,000 jobs, hourly median wage, annual median wage, hourly mean wage, and annual mean wage. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 25, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Police Officers Get Paid in Every State
