Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Police officer
Police and sheriff's patrol officers respond to calls, patrol assigned areas, investigate incidents, and make arrests for city, county, and state agencies. Shift work, overtime, and public-sector benefits are standard.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a police officer makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$76,210
$36.64 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $59,290
- 75th percentile
- $97,600
- 90th percentile
- $115,120
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 71%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +3.5%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 51,500
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
Most agencies require a high school diploma or GED, an age of 21, a clean record, and passing physical, written, and background tests, then a paid academy of about six months; some departments prefer college credits or offer higher pay for them. County governments in our listings post entry-level officer and deputy roles.
The work, as O*NET defines it: 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.
The next step
Agency hiring process and state POST academy (usually paid by the agency)
- Typical cost
- Usually free; some self-sponsored academies charge $3,000 to $8,000
- Time to complete
- 6 to 9 months including the academy
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for police and sheriff's patrol officers by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $57.15 | $118,880 | $97,280 to $126,780 | 65,940 |
| Washington | $49.08 | $102,080 | $92,930 to $118,480 | 9,160 |
| Illinois | $48.33 | $100,520 | $76,480 to $107,810 | 29,180 |
| Alaska | $47.66 | $99,130 | $78,810 to $126,480 | 1,260 |
| Colorado | $46.81 | $97,350 | $76,640 to $102,620 | 9,610 |
| Delaware | $44.70 | $92,970 | $75,550 to $102,530 | 1,800 |
| New York | $44.61 | $92,790 | $57,180 to $107,080 | 53,470 |
| New Jersey | $44.53 | $92,610 | $67,070 to $117,800 | 21,780 |
| District of Columbia | $42.62 | $88,650 | $77,210 to $107,360 | 4,720 |
| Oregon | $42.38 | $88,140 | $78,170 to $98,650 | 5,030 |
| Pennsylvania | $41.09 | $85,470 | $63,080 to $96,970 | 26,510 |
| Hawaii | $40.30 | $83,820 | $82,640 to $108,110 | 2,420 |
| Minnesota | $40.08 | $83,360 | $75,750 to $98,430 | 9,160 |
| Connecticut | $39.51 | $82,170 | $77,500 to $93,520 | 6,500 |
| Massachusetts | $37.95 | $78,940 | $71,970 to $97,390 | 17,040 |
| Arizona | $37.92 | $78,880 | $68,550 to $96,800 | 12,010 |
| Nevada | $37.57 | $78,140 | $76,010 to $101,260 | 5,720 |
| Wisconsin | $37.55 | $78,090 | $67,450 to $84,850 | 12,320 |
| Maryland | $37.49 | $77,970 | $66,300 to $95,990 | 9,720 |
| Utah | $37.17 | $77,310 | $64,520 to $94,150 | 5,500 |
| Rhode Island | $37.13 | $77,230 | $69,370 to $91,620 | 1,940 |
| Ohio | $37.03 | $77,020 | $62,700 to $90,390 | 23,430 |
| Texas | $36.49 | $75,900 | $61,240 to $93,800 | 63,100 |
| Nebraska | $35.88 | $74,620 | $63,170 to $93,480 | 3,490 |
| North Dakota | $35.82 | $74,500 | $62,670 to $78,050 | 1,630 |
| Florida | $35.81 | $74,470 | $60,520 to $93,460 | 43,630 |
| Iowa | $35.81 | $74,470 | $63,810 to $86,160 | 5,130 |
| Michigan | $35.45 | $73,730 | $60,410 to $80,170 | 16,750 |
| Indiana | $35.27 | $73,370 | $60,710 to $84,820 | 12,980 |
| New Hampshire | $34.44 | $71,640 | $61,480 to $77,010 | 2,460 |
| Montana | $33.68 | $70,050 | $59,860 to $77,500 | 2,160 |
| New Mexico | $33.26 | $69,180 | $58,870 to $73,430 | 4,580 |
| Vermont | $33.13 | $68,910 | $59,680 to $79,080 | 1,020 |
| Maine | $32.24 | $67,050 | $61,230 to $76,550 | 2,120 |
| Idaho | $32.21 | $66,990 | $58,090 to $83,560 | 2,810 |
| Wyoming | $31.80 | $66,140 | $59,640 to $73,650 | 1,310 |
| Virginia | $31.67 | $65,870 | $58,140 to $78,480 | 19,970 |
| South Dakota | $29.20 | $60,740 | $52,330 to $72,000 | 2,000 |
| Kentucky | $29.08 | $60,490 | $47,940 to $68,990 | 7,890 |
| Oklahoma | $28.70 | $59,700 | $45,250 to $78,580 | 9,660 |
| Missouri | $28.59 | $59,460 | $46,760 to $75,930 | 13,570 |
| North Carolina | $28.51 | $59,300 | $49,460 to $72,700 | 22,370 |
| Tennessee | $28.50 | $59,280 | $48,710 to $75,410 | 15,630 |
| Kansas | $28.48 | $59,230 | $48,670 to $71,950 | 6,130 |
| Georgia | $27.94 | $58,120 | $48,290 to $63,270 | 22,170 |
| South Carolina | $27.92 | $58,070 | $48,570 to $68,190 | 12,930 |
| West Virginia | $27.39 | $56,960 | $48,950 to $61,330 | 2,900 |
| Alabama | $24.65 | $51,270 | $44,260 to $63,090 | 11,710 |
| Louisiana | $23.26 | $48,380 | $43,090 to $59,440 | 12,400 |
| Arkansas | $22.92 | $47,670 | $40,100 to $56,720 | 5,710 |
| Mississippi | $22.18 | $46,140 | $37,270 to $54,450 | 8,070 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a police officer?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry, and 71% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is agency hiring process and state POST academy (usually paid by the agency).
How much does a police officer make?
The median pay was $76,210 a year ($36.64 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $59,290 and $97,600, and the top 10 percent earned more than $115,120.
How long does it take to become a police officer?
6 to 9 months including the academy. The typical cost is usually free; some self-sponsored academies charge $3,000 to $8,000.
Is police officer work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035 with about 51,500 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 33-3051.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile