Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

33-3051 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
636,410 0.6 % $27.05 $56,260 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.42 $19.77 $26.07 $33.65 $40.85
Annual Wage (2) $32,080 $41,110 $54,230 $69,990 $84,980

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government (OES Designation) 542,060 9.81 $27.00 $56,160
State Government (OES Designation) 63,030 2.77 $29.16 $60,650
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,590 0.61 $24.85 $51,690
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 12,350 0.43 $22.83 $47,480
Junior Colleges 1,980 0.25 $21.14 $43,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government (OES Designation) 542,060 9.81 $27.00 $56,160
State Government (OES Designation) 63,030 2.77 $29.16 $60,650
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,590 0.61 $24.85 $51,690
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 12,350 0.43 $22.83 $47,480
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 740 0.32 $25.03 $52,070

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government (OES Designation) 63,030 2.77 $29.16 $60,650
Local Government (OES Designation) 542,060 9.81 $27.00 $56,160
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 190 0.09 $25.95 $53,970
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,120 0.02 $25.87 $53,810
Postal Service 510 0.08 $25.48 $53,000

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 73,550 5.24 1.06 $37.88 $78,790
Texas 54,920 5.33 1.07 $24.51 $50,990
New York 54,420 6.46 1.30 $30.20 $62,820
Florida 35,370 4.95 1.00 $27.06 $56,290
Illinois 29,510 5.29 1.07 $31.61 $65,750




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 5,230 8.10 1.63 $32.52 $67,650
New York 54,420 6.46 1.30 $30.20 $62,820
Mississippi 6,930 6.46 1.30 $14.94 $31,060
Alabama 11,370 6.28 1.27 $19.23 $39,990
Maryland 14,690 5.92 1.19 $27.16 $56,500




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 21,710 5.76 1.16 $39.41 $81,970
California 73,550 5.24 1.06 $37.88 $78,790
District of Columbia 5,230 8.10 1.63 $32.52 $67,650
Alaska 1,160 3.71 0.75 $32.41 $67,400
Nevada 4,640 4.17 0.84 $32.01 $66,580





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 22,280 5.83 1.17 $41.16 $85,620
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 19,900 5.55 1.12 $34.93 $72,660
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 14,340 5.62 1.13 $26.07 $54,230
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 13,340 5.77 1.16 $31.00 $64,480
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 11,270 6.21 1.25 $28.75 $59,790
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 9,680 4.35 0.88 $21.37 $44,450
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 8,860 4.33 0.87 $27.73 $57,670
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 8,320 4.90 0.99 $30.03 $62,460
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 7,320 4.37 0.88 $27.36 $56,910
St. Louis, MO-IL 6,420 5.05 1.02 $23.46 $48,800