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Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers is a notable career in the 33 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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13
| soc | 33-3051 |
| title | Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers |
| onet code | 33-3051.00 |
| description | 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. Includes police officers working at educational institutions. |
| job zone | 3 |
| major group | 33 |
| tot emp | 666,990 |
| a mean | 79,320 |
| a median | 76,290 |
| a pct10 | 47,640 |
| a pct25 | 58,980 |
| a pct75 | 97,190 |
| a pct90 | 115,280 |
| h mean | 38 |
| h median | 36 |
The day-to-day work of a police and sheriff's patrol officers typically centers on identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and Active Listening. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.71 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working police and sheriff's patrol officers, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (40.4%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 7% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in California at $115,400 and lowest in Mississippi at $45,610 — a 2.5× spread. The top five states (California, Washington, Illinois, Alaska, Colorado) average $103,194. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $115,400 | $111,630 | $76,010 | $151,160 | 65,170 |
| Washington | $102,640 | $101,590 | $75,780 | $123,220 | 8,370 |
| Illinois | $101,530 | $92,020 | $55,830 | $119,020 | 29,790 |
| Alaska | $100,300 | $103,670 | $69,370 | $136,070 | 1,160 |
| Colorado | $96,100 | $90,660 | $65,850 | $111,360 | 9,480 |
| New York | $93,050 | $86,880 | $53,020 | $116,950 | 54,360 |
| Hawaii | $89,390 | $92,030 | $75,370 | $114,220 | 2,390 |
| New Jersey | $89,030 | $93,290 | $57,260 | $134,460 | 21,620 |
| District of Columbia | $88,330 | $91,310 | $66,420 | $115,730 | 4,830 |
| Oregon | $88,140 | $88,260 | $68,270 | $112,530 | 4,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $86,350 | $83,130 | $50,070 | $112,380 | 24,280 |
| Minnesota | $83,310 | $84,220 | $60,390 | $104,800 | 8,920 |
| Delaware | $83,230 | $85,350 | $62,050 | $104,840 | 1,790 |
| Connecticut | $82,820 | $83,210 | $61,000 | $102,820 | 6,500 |
| Arizona | $79,370 | $82,400 | $59,760 | $100,430 | 12,430 |
| Wisconsin | $78,980 | $77,520 | $55,450 | $93,460 | 11,500 |
| Nevada | $78,670 | $84,510 | $62,980 | $102,460 | 5,490 |
| Massachusetts | $78,610 | $80,790 | $59,870 | $106,300 | 17,000 |
| Maryland | $77,440 | $81,660 | $58,140 | $109,300 | 9,420 |
| Rhode Island | $77,280 | $75,090 | $54,980 | $89,070 | 1,780 |
| Utah | $77,210 | $77,370 | $58,870 | $98,670 | 5,370 |
| Ohio | $77,050 | $76,200 | $49,390 | $104,430 | 24,050 |
| Texas | $76,350 | $75,970 | $51,590 | $99,450 | 62,230 |
| Florida | $76,190 | $83,850 | $52,500 | $117,940 | 48,340 |
| North Dakota | $75,530 | $74,450 | $58,580 | $92,340 | 1,850 |
| Michigan | $74,420 | $71,380 | $49,390 | $91,210 | 16,290 |
| Iowa | $73,900 | $75,390 | $57,460 | $96,260 | 5,110 |
| Nebraska | $72,160 | $73,580 | $50,080 | $96,340 | 3,620 |
| Indiana | $71,540 | $73,620 | $52,860 | $93,990 | 13,480 |
| Montana | $69,910 | $69,670 | $51,820 | $88,090 | 2,020 |
| New Hampshire | $67,620 | $70,060 | $54,410 | $89,120 | 2,550 |
| Idaho | $66,150 | $68,470 | $48,980 | $92,710 | 2,630 |
| Maine | $65,330 | $68,100 | $54,660 | $84,270 | 1,930 |
| Wyoming | $65,180 | $66,280 | $49,380 | $80,720 | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $65,110 | $70,330 | $50,160 | $96,700 | 19,400 |
| Vermont | $63,690 | $68,220 | $46,500 | $89,110 | 1,080 |
| New Mexico | $63,340 | $65,020 | $47,470 | $77,910 | 4,830 |
| Missouri | $60,720 | $63,640 | $41,970 | $90,900 | 12,750 |
| South Dakota | $60,300 | $62,940 | $46,940 | $83,640 | 1,890 |
| Kentucky | $60,230 | $59,460 | $40,600 | $78,820 | 7,090 |
| Tennessee | $59,410 | $60,280 | $40,940 | $81,340 | 13,780 |
| North Carolina | $58,030 | $60,520 | $44,850 | $80,920 | 21,650 |
| South Carolina | $58,020 | $60,140 | $43,640 | $78,590 | 12,820 |
| Oklahoma | $57,360 | $61,000 | $34,780 | $95,950 | 9,420 |
| Kansas | $56,610 | $58,580 | $37,640 | $82,870 | 6,160 |
| Georgia | $56,350 | $57,970 | $42,180 | $77,750 | 21,540 |
| West Virginia | $54,570 | $54,930 | $39,780 | $68,080 | 3,130 |
| Alabama | $53,850 | $55,330 | $37,010 | $78,140 | 12,060 |
| Louisiana | $50,580 | $52,840 | $35,170 | $73,270 | 14,340 |
| Arkansas | $48,090 | $49,700 | $35,950 | $69,420 | 5,490 |
| Mississippi | $45,610 | $45,450 | $30,450 | $58,780 | 7,590 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for police and sheriff's patrol officers. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Accident Prevention Squad Police Officer or Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent (ALE Agent) frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers compares to others in the 33 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.