How Much Does a Police Officer Make?

The truth is you won’t get rich being a police officer, however you will be able to live a comfortable life as a police officer if you manage your money properly.

If walk up to any police officer on any given day, they will tell you that money wasn’t the motivating factor when deciding to get into law enforcement or not. In fact money was probably number 3 in the list of priorities.

Average Salary For a Police Officer

Now let’s dig deep into the average salary of a police officer. Depending on the state police officer’s yearly income can exceed 80k. I’m talking about states such as California and New York where some cops get paid pretty handsomely.

The pay is so high because of the cost of living. States such as California and New York have such a high cost of living that paying police officers any less than 50k to 60k annually just doesn’t make any sense. I’m taking about entry level pay – not including overtime and extra duty income.

Normally the pay of a police officer is closely tide to the cost of living in that area. Although that’s not always the case.

Pay scale of a patrolman

According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics Police and sheriff’s patrol officers had median annual wages of $51,410 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,850 and $64,940.

The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,070, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $79,680. Median annual wages were $46,620 in Federal Government, $57,270 in State government, $51,020 in local government and $43,350 in educational services.

According to the International City-County Management Association’s annual Police and Fire Personnel, Salaries, and Expenditures Survey, average salaries for sworn full-time positions in 2008 were as follows:

Pay Chart For a Policemen

In addition to the common benefits—paid vacation, sick leave, and medical and life insurance—most police and sheriffs’ departments provide officers with special allowances for uniforms.

Many police officers retire at half-pay after 20 years of service; others often are eligible to retire with 30 or fewer years of service.

Overtime pay for a cop

Off duty work and overtime pay is the holy grail when it comes to making money as a cop. Usually off duty assignments pay very well around $30-$50 an hour. That’s why it is not crazy to see a police officer make well over 100k. They are racking in the cash through overtime and extra duty work.