Best states for a Police Officer

Q: What is the best state for police officers?

The best state to be a police officer is California based on police officer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for police officers?

The highest paying state for police officers is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for police officers?

The worst state for police officers is Alabama, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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It seems like police officers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for police officers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for police officers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for police officer jobs.

In order to get you the best states for police officers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that California is the best state for police officer jobs, whereas Alabama is the worst.

If you're looking for a Police Officer job, here are five companies hiring now:

US Air Conditioning Distributors Jobs (179)

10 best states for police officers in 2025

1. California
Total Police Officer Jobs: 5,849
Average Annual Salary: $67,408
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $49,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Police Officer Jobs in California
2. Washington
Total Police Officer Jobs: 1,131
Average Annual Salary: $73,316
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $59,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1
Police Officer Jobs in Washington
3. Oregon
Total Police Officer Jobs: 631
Average Annual Salary: $70,488
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $55,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Police Officer Jobs in Oregon
4. Nevada
Total Police Officer Jobs: 385
Average Annual Salary: $56,042
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Police Officer Jobs in Nevada
5. Colorado
Total Police Officer Jobs: 917
Average Annual Salary: $61,400
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $49,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Police Officer Jobs in Colorado
6. Minnesota
Total Police Officer Jobs: 1,083
Average Annual Salary: $59,433
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $48,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Police Officer Jobs in Minnesota
7. North Dakota
Total Police Officer Jobs: 138
Average Annual Salary: $62,265
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $51,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
Police Officer Jobs in North Dakota
8. Alaska
Total Police Officer Jobs: 92
Average Annual Salary: $78,839
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $70,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Police Officer Jobs in Alaska
9. Vermont
Total Police Officer Jobs: 98
Average Annual Salary: $60,112
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $46,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
0.82
Police Officer Jobs in Vermont
10. New York
Total Police Officer Jobs: 2,353
Average Annual Salary: $55,639
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Police Officer Jobs in New York

How Zippia determines the best states to be a police officer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a police officer

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	California	$67,408	$49,000	39,536,653	5,849
2	Washington	$73,316	$59,000	7,405,743	1,131
3	Oregon	$70,488	$55,000	4,142,776	631
4	Nevada	$56,042	$41,000	2,998,039	385
5	Colorado	$61,400	$49,000	5,607,154	917
6	Minnesota	$59,433	$48,000	5,576,606	1,083
7	North Dakota	$62,265	$51,000	755,393	138
8	Alaska	$78,839	$70,000	739,795	92
9	Vermont	$60,112	$46,000	623,657	98
10	New York	$55,639	$41,000	19,849,399	2,353
11	Connecticut	$60,266	$45,000	3,588,184	429
12	Massachusetts	$56,693	$42,000	6,859,819	1,393
13	Ohio	$50,537	$39,000	11,658,609	1,784
14	Rhode Island	$52,850	$39,000	1,059,639	206
15	Maryland	$56,143	$42,000	6,052,177	1,059
16	Illinois	$56,211	$44,000	12,802,023	1,759
17	New Jersey	$55,401	$41,000	9,005,644	1,303
18	Wisconsin	$51,430	$41,000	5,795,483	864
19	Nebraska	$49,726	$39,000	1,920,076	410
20	Idaho	$49,067	$39,000	1,716,943	349
21	Pennsylvania	$48,782	$36,000	12,805,537	2,106
22	Arizona	$50,130	$37,000	7,016,270	961
23	Wyoming	$54,894	$44,000	579,315	38
24	Michigan	$50,274	$39,000	9,962,311	1,153
25	District of Columbia	$60,393	$45,000	693,972	140
26	New Hampshire	$50,646	$38,000	1,342,795	237
27	Iowa	$50,441	$40,000	3,145,711	447
28	Missouri	$43,930	$34,000	6,113,532	1,058
29	Utah	$49,292	$38,000	3,101,833	418
30	Montana	$50,478	$41,000	1,050,493	113
31	Texas	$48,083	$36,000	28,304,596	2,541
32	Delaware	$50,191	$37,000	961,939	141
33	Virginia	$42,314	$31,000	8,470,020	1,699
34	Kentucky	$37,638	$29,000	4,454,189	759
35	New Mexico	$42,590	$32,000	2,088,070	300
36	Indiana	$43,189	$33,000	6,666,818	892
37	South Dakota	$45,256	$36,000	869,666	123
38	Oklahoma	$36,849	$28,000	3,930,864	507
39	Maine	$41,492	$32,000	1,335,907	177
40	Hawaii	$40,510	$34,000	1,427,538	133
41	West Virginia	$42,308	$32,000	1,815,857	178
42	Florida	$43,231	$31,000	20,984,400	1,878
43	Tennessee	$36,744	$28,000	6,715,984	808
44	Georgia	$35,626	$26,000	10,429,379	1,459
45	Kansas	$39,151	$30,000	2,913,123	316
46	Mississippi	$30,822	$23,000	2,984,100	338
47	North Carolina	$36,157	$27,000	10,273,419	1,257
48	Arkansas	$31,955	$24,000	3,004,279	366
49	Louisiana	$33,047	$24,000	4,684,333	419
50	South Carolina	$33,558	$25,000	5,024,369	564
51	Alabama	$31,858	$23,000	4,874,747	555

Highest paying states for police officers

Rank	State	Avg. Police Officer Salary
1	California	$67,408
2	Washington	$73,316
3	Oregon	$70,488
4	Nevada	$56,042
5	Colorado	$61,400
6	Minnesota	$59,433
7	North Dakota	$62,265
8	Alaska	$78,839
9	Vermont	$60,112
10	New York	$55,639
11	Connecticut	$60,266
12	Massachusetts	$56,693
13	Ohio	$50,537
14	Rhode Island	$52,850
15	Maryland	$56,143
16	Illinois	$56,211
17	New Jersey	$55,401
18	Wisconsin	$51,430
19	Nebraska	$49,726
20	Idaho	$49,067
21	Pennsylvania	$48,782
22	Arizona	$50,130
23	Wyoming	$54,894
24	Michigan	$50,274
25	District of Columbia	$60,393
26	New Hampshire	$50,646
27	Iowa	$50,441
28	Missouri	$43,930
29	Utah	$49,292
30	Montana	$50,478
31	Texas	$48,083
32	Delaware	$50,191
33	Virginia	$42,314
34	Kentucky	$37,638
35	New Mexico	$42,590
36	Indiana	$43,189
37	South Dakota	$45,256
38	Oklahoma	$36,849
39	Maine	$41,492
40	Hawaii	$40,510
41	West Virginia	$42,308
42	Florida	$43,231
43	Tennessee	$36,744
44	Georgia	$35,626
45	Kansas	$39,151
46	Mississippi	$30,822
47	North Carolina	$36,157
48	Arkansas	$31,955
49	Louisiana	$33,047
50	South Carolina	$33,558
51	Alabama	$31,858

Best states for a Police Officer

If you're looking for a Police Officer job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for police officers in 2025

1. California

2. Washington

3. Oregon

4. Nevada

5. Colorado

6. Minnesota

7. North Dakota

8. Alaska

9. Vermont

10. New York

How Zippia determines the best states to be a police officer

Detailed list of the best states for a police officer

Highest paying states for police officers

Police Officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for police officers?

What is the highest paying state for police officers?

What is the worst state for police officers?

Search for police officer jobs

Total Police Officer Jobs:	5,849
Average Annual Salary:	$67,408
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$49,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$91,000
Location Quotient:	1.29