2 answers
zayn
Student
Elyria, Ohio
3
Questions
Asked
1012 views
what is the average pay for a police officer
#police-officer i love what cops do for every community and i would like to be one
2 answers
Dr. James Zavala
Lieutenant Colonel
133
Answers
Lorton, Virginia
Updated
Dr. James’s Answer
That all depends on the department. For example, NYPD pays about 90k a year. Port Authority, which some of its jurisdiction is in the jurisdiction of the NYPD, pays 110k. The only way to truly know is to do research on which police department or city you want to work for.
thank you very much
zayn
Alexandra Carpenter
CareerVillage.org TeamData Analyst at CareerVillage.org
15
Answers
Columbia, PA
Updated
Alexandra’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Zayn!
It is great to see that you're excited about law enforcement and love the way they serve their communities!
As Lt. Col. Zavala mentioned, it does vary widely based on department and rank. Large cities will generally pay higher salaries, primarily because there is more violent crime in those areas (thus, your job is more likely to be dangerous day-to-day.) For comparison, my father worked as a police officer in a suburban area and made about 60k per year. The 90k-110k salaries are on the high end of the spectrum. My father worked for township police, and smaller jurisdictions like that make up many of the jobs available. So, consider that the most available officer positions make closer to 50-70k. Departments with jurisdiction over larger areas will generally pay more, such as State police or working for federal law enforcement, but those positions are also more competitive. I can only speak for my own state because these are the only folks I've spoken to about employment in law enforcement, but it seems that working for State police is often the best package deal between your salary, benefits, competition, and workload. Since it is becoming more and more common for officers to have college degrees, definitely consider leveraging the connections you have in college to secure a job with State or federal law enforcement, since you are making the financial investment to get your degree. Just as in every career, everything is a tradeoff. You might also consider going into the military before you become an officer, which is easier financially but may be more stressful than college depending on exactly what your role is (my dad, for example, started in the Army as an MP, which is a popular entryway to being in civil law enforcement).
I hope this helps! If you have a passion for serving your community (which it sounds like you do!!), then you may not want to worry so much about making as much money as you can. Making more money will not compensate for everything in a field that can be dangerous or pull you away from time with your family.
It is great to see that you're excited about law enforcement and love the way they serve their communities!
As Lt. Col. Zavala mentioned, it does vary widely based on department and rank. Large cities will generally pay higher salaries, primarily because there is more violent crime in those areas (thus, your job is more likely to be dangerous day-to-day.) For comparison, my father worked as a police officer in a suburban area and made about 60k per year. The 90k-110k salaries are on the high end of the spectrum. My father worked for township police, and smaller jurisdictions like that make up many of the jobs available. So, consider that the most available officer positions make closer to 50-70k. Departments with jurisdiction over larger areas will generally pay more, such as State police or working for federal law enforcement, but those positions are also more competitive. I can only speak for my own state because these are the only folks I've spoken to about employment in law enforcement, but it seems that working for State police is often the best package deal between your salary, benefits, competition, and workload. Since it is becoming more and more common for officers to have college degrees, definitely consider leveraging the connections you have in college to secure a job with State or federal law enforcement, since you are making the financial investment to get your degree. Just as in every career, everything is a tradeoff. You might also consider going into the military before you become an officer, which is easier financially but may be more stressful than college depending on exactly what your role is (my dad, for example, started in the Army as an MP, which is a popular entryway to being in civil law enforcement).
I hope this helps! If you have a passion for serving your community (which it sounds like you do!!), then you may not want to worry so much about making as much money as you can. Making more money will not compensate for everything in a field that can be dangerous or pull you away from time with your family.
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