Salaries & Jobs

Police Officer Salary Cost by City

Average annual salary for police officers and law enforcement. Compare costs across 300 US cities.

National Average
$42,000$85,000
$/yr
Cities
300+
Cheapest
Brownsville
Most Expensive
Aspen
Spread
$35K$147K

How much does police officer salary cost by city? The honest answer: it depends entirely on where you live. National averages ($42,000 to $85,000) mask enormous regional variation driven by local labor costs, regulations, and market competition. This page ranks every city in our database from cheapest to most expensive.

Why Police Officer Salary Costs Vary by City

1

Industry concentration — tech hubs, healthcare centers, and manufacturing regions each have different pay scales

2

State income tax rates that affect take-home pay negotiations

3

Remote work availability — roles that can be done remotely are converging on national rates, while on-site roles retain geographic premiums

4

Cost-of-living adjustments baked into compensation packages

5

Employer competition for talent in specialized industries

Cheapest and Most Expensive Cities for Police Officer Salary

Compare Police Officer Salary Prices Across 300 Cities

#CityStateLowAverageHighvs National
1BrownsvilleTX$23,100$34,925$46,750-45%
2WacoTX$23,100$34,925$46,750-45%
3AbileneTX$24,633$37,243$49,852-41%
4CharlestonWV$25,126$37,989$50,851-40%
5MaconGA$25,767$38,958$52,148-39%
6Green BayWI$26,103$39,465$52,827-38%
7BirminghamAL$26,586$40,196$53,805-37%
8MontgomeryAL$26,597$40,212$53,826-37%
9IndependenceMO$26,733$40,418$54,102-36%
10MidlandTX$27,615$41,752$55,888-34%
11AmarilloTX$28,067$42,434$56,801-33%
12La CrosseWI$28,172$42,593$57,014-33%
13SpringfieldMO$28,182$42,609$57,035-33%
14IndianapolisIN$28,214$42,657$57,099-33%
15St. JosephMO$28,613$43,260$57,906-32%
16ChattanoogaTN$28,823$43,577$58,331-31%
17Grand RapidsMI$28,833$43,593$58,353-31%
18Des MoinesIA$29,106$44,006$58,905-31%
19BiloxiMS$29,284$44,275$59,266-30%
20South BendIN$29,537$44,657$59,776-30%
21ClarksvilleTN$29,547$44,673$59,798-30%
22FlintMI$29,684$44,879$60,074-29%
23ConwayAR$29,684$44,879$60,074-29%
24LexingtonKY$29,778$45,022$60,265-29%
25RockfordIL$29,862$45,149$60,435-29%
26LaredoTX$29,872$45,164$60,456-29%
27DaytonOH$29,872$45,164$60,456-29%
28St. LouisMO$30,324$45,847$61,370-28%
29Cape CoralFL$30,587$46,244$61,901-27%
30RichmondVA$30,618$46,292$61,965-27%
31LakelandFL$31,290$47,308$63,325-25%
32CharlestonSC$31,301$47,324$63,346-25%
33ColumbiaSC$31,322$47,356$63,389-25%
34JacksonvilleFL$31,700$47,927$64,154-25%
35OmahaNE$31,941$48,292$64,643-24%
36BloomingtonIN$31,941$48,292$64,642-24%
37Fort WorthTX$31,983$48,355$64,727-24%
38KennewickWA$32,057$48,467$64,876-24%
39GainesvilleFL$32,183$48,657$65,131-23%
40Warner RobinsGA$32,266$48,784$65,301-23%
41Winston-SalemNC$32,393$48,975$65,556-23%
42HattiesburgMS$32,592$49,276$65,960-22%
43JacksonMS$32,781$49,562$66,343-22%
44OdessaTX$32,844$49,657$66,470-22%
45BillingsMT$33,180$50,165$67,150-21%
46San JuanPR$33,274$50,308$67,341-21%
47JolietIL$33,527$50,689$67,851-20%
48Little RockAR$33,894$51,245$68,595-19%
49Terre HauteIN$33,999$51,404$68,808-19%
50RoswellGA$34,094$51,547$68,999-19%
51ShreveportLA$34,188$51,689$69,190-19%
52ArlingtonTX$34,241$51,769$69,296-18%
53VictorvilleCA$34,304$51,864$69,424-18%
54RacineWI$34,398$52,007$69,615-18%
55MurfreesboroTN$34,451$52,086$69,721-18%
56LansingMI$34,461$52,102$69,743-18%
57JanesvilleWI$34,514$52,182$69,849-18%
58GreensboroNC$34,566$52,261$69,955-18%
59AllentownPA$34,713$52,483$70,253-17%
60MinneapolisMN$34,997$52,912$70,826-17%
61AustinTX$35,070$53,023$70,975-16%
62PuebloCO$35,291$53,356$71,421-16%
63EriePA$35,311$53,388$71,464-16%
64Round RockTX$35,322$53,404$71,485-16%
65RogersAR$35,721$54,007$72,293-15%
66DavenportIA$35,753$54,055$72,356-15%
67ColumbusOH$35,847$54,198$72,548-15%
68ScrantonPA$35,868$54,229$72,590-15%
69Newport NewsVA$35,879$54,245$72,611-15%
70YakimaWA$35,994$54,420$72,845-14%
71Sandy SpringsGA$36,036$54,483$72,930-14%
72CharlotteNC$36,078$54,547$73,015-14%
73Rapid CitySD$36,330$54,928$73,525-13%
74NorfolkVA$36,403$55,039$73,674-13%
75El PasoTX$36,635$55,388$74,141-13%
76TulsaOK$36,698$55,484$74,269-13%
77RaleighNC$36,792$55,626$74,460-12%
78OshkoshWI$36,803$55,642$74,481-12%
79DecaturIL$36,876$55,753$74,630-12%
80BuffaloNY$36,950$55,865$74,779-12%
81WichitaKS$37,013$55,960$74,906-12%
82FayettevilleAR$37,233$56,293$75,353-11%
83AugustaME$37,422$56,579$75,735-11%
84New OrleansLA$37,517$56,722$75,926-11%
85HoustonTX$37,569$56,801$76,033-11%
86McAllenTX$37,779$57,119$76,458-10%
87KnoxvilleTN$37,800$57,150$76,500-10%
88MedfordOR$37,874$57,262$76,649-10%
89DurhamNC$37,979$57,420$76,861-10%
90DentonTX$38,052$57,531$77,010-9%
91ReadingPA$38,094$57,595$77,095-9%
92SyracuseNY$38,168$57,706$77,244-9%
93Traverse CityMI$38,220$57,785$77,350-9%
94BloomingtonIL$38,220$57,785$77,350-9%
95PensacolaFL$38,283$57,881$77,478-9%
96Palm BayFL$38,294$57,897$77,499-9%
97RochesterNY$38,315$57,928$77,541-9%
98LouisvilleKY$38,409$58,071$77,733-9%
99HartfordCT$38,514$58,230$77,945-8%
100AkronOH$38,608$58,372$78,136-8%
101SpringfieldMA$38,619$58,389$78,158-8%
102PortlandME$38,650$58,436$78,221-8%
103KalamazooMI$38,692$58,499$78,306-8%
104SchenectadyNY$38,735$58,563$78,391-8%
105MilwaukeeWI$38,766$58,611$78,455-8%
106HuntsvilleAL$38,808$58,674$78,540-8%
107LubbockTX$38,808$58,674$78,540-8%
108ManchesterNH$38,819$58,690$78,561-8%
109CaryNC$38,840$58,722$78,604-8%
110MobileAL$38,934$58,865$78,795-7%
111BismarckND$38,976$58,928$78,880-7%
112BeaumontTX$39,008$58,976$78,944-7%
113Ann ArborMI$39,123$59,151$79,178-7%
114TopekaKS$39,144$59,182$79,220-7%
115Corpus ChristiTX$39,197$59,262$79,326-7%
116North CharlestonSC$39,249$59,341$79,433-7%
117BethlehemPA$39,249$59,341$79,433-7%
118SpringfieldIL$39,260$59,357$79,454-7%
119TucsonAZ$39,291$59,405$79,518-6%
120Bowling GreenKY$39,312$59,436$79,560-6%
121McKinneyTX$39,564$59,817$80,070-6%
122EvansvilleIN$39,596$59,865$80,134-6%
123AppletonWI$39,827$60,214$80,601-5%
124Sioux FallsSD$39,932$60,373$80,814-5%
125San AntonioTX$39,953$60,405$80,856-5%
126ColumbiaMO$39,974$60,437$80,899-5%
127NashvilleTN$40,110$60,643$81,175-4%
128DoverDE$40,131$60,675$81,218-4%
129Jefferson CityMO$40,152$60,706$81,260-4%
130Pompano BeachFL$40,299$60,929$81,558-4%
131ChampaignIL$40,404$61,087$81,770-4%
132IthacaNY$40,509$61,246$81,983-4%
133Oklahoma CityOK$40,530$61,278$82,025-3%
134CranstonRI$40,803$61,691$82,578-3%
135ClearwaterFL$40,845$61,754$82,663-3%
136Daytona BeachFL$41,013$62,008$83,003-2%
137Twin FallsID$41,150$62,215$83,279-2%
138DallasTX$41,171$62,246$83,321-2%
139OrlandoFL$41,255$62,373$83,491-2%
140Virginia BeachVA$41,276$62,405$83,534-2%
141NapervilleIL$41,391$62,580$83,768-1%
142TrentonNJ$41,412$62,611$83,810-1%
143Baton RougeLA$41,444$62,659$83,874-1%
144SpokaneWA$41,612$62,913$84,214-1%
145MemphisTN$41,633$62,945$84,256-1%
146ChandlerAZ$41,633$62,945$84,256-1%
147TylerTX$41,685$63,024$84,363-1%
148ChicagoIL$41,748$63,119$84,490-1%
149Cedar RapidsIA$41,780$63,167$84,554-1%
150Eau ClaireWI$41,811$63,215$84,6180%
151LafayetteLA$41,821$63,230$84,6390%
152CincinnatiOH$41,958$63,437$84,9150%
153Elk GroveCA$42,105$63,659$85,2130%
154Saratoga SpringsNY$42,200$63,802$85,4040%
155Kansas CityMO$42,242$63,866$85,489+1%
156SavannahGA$42,252$63,881$85,510+1%
157Idaho FallsID$42,420$64,135$85,850+1%
158HendersonNV$42,525$64,294$86,063+1%
159KenoshaWI$42,620$64,437$86,254+1%
160AtlantaGA$42,683$64,532$86,381+2%
161AshevilleNC$42,746$64,628$86,509+2%
162New HavenCT$42,767$64,659$86,551+2%
163CasperWY$42,861$64,802$86,743+2%
164LaramieWY$42,914$64,882$86,849+2%
165St. PaulMN$42,987$64,993$86,998+2%
166FriscoTX$43,071$65,120$87,168+3%
167TempeAZ$43,229$65,358$87,486+3%
168Sugar LandTX$43,407$65,628$87,848+3%
169LincolnNE$43,481$65,739$87,996+4%
170TallahasseeFL$43,796$66,215$88,634+4%
171CheyenneWY$43,880$66,342$88,804+4%
172ClevelandOH$44,016$66,548$89,080+5%
173PocatelloID$44,321$67,009$89,696+6%
174College StationTX$44,436$67,183$89,930+6%
175Carson CityNV$44,520$67,310$90,100+6%
176AlbuquerqueNM$44,793$67,723$90,653+7%
177ModestoCA$44,825$67,771$90,716+7%
178FrankfortKY$44,867$67,834$90,801+7%
179TampaFL$44,930$67,930$90,929+7%
180FargoND$45,035$68,088$91,141+7%
181NampaID$45,329$68,533$91,736+8%
182PittsburghPA$45,339$68,549$91,758+8%
183MontpelierVT$45,413$68,660$91,906+8%
184ChesapeakeVA$45,591$68,929$92,267+9%
185Great FallsMT$45,612$68,961$92,310+9%
186PatersonNJ$45,738$69,152$92,565+9%
187WorcesterMA$45,780$69,215$92,650+9%
188ReddingCA$45,875$69,358$92,841+9%
189ConcordNH$46,022$69,581$93,139+10%
190Las VegasNV$46,127$69,739$93,351+10%
191FresnoCA$46,127$69,739$93,351+10%
192DuluthMN$46,158$69,787$93,415+10%
193BaltimoreMD$46,211$69,866$93,521+10%
194ProvoUT$46,431$70,200$93,968+11%
195Rancho CucamongaCA$46,431$70,200$93,968+11%
196ProvidenceRI$46,547$70,374$94,201+11%
197HarrisburgPA$46,736$70,660$94,584+11%
198New BedfordMA$46,967$71,009$95,051+12%
199Fort CollinsCO$47,082$71,184$95,285+12%
200PierreSD$47,135$71,263$95,391+12%
201WilmingtonDE$47,187$71,343$95,498+12%
202HelenaMT$47,240$71,422$95,604+12%
203WarwickRI$47,565$71,914$96,263+13%
204GilbertAZ$48,458$73,264$98,069+15%
205MadisonWI$48,479$73,295$98,111+15%
206BurlingtonVT$48,552$73,406$98,260+16%
207RenoNV$48,741$73,692$98,643+16%
208GreeleyCO$48,794$73,772$98,749+16%
209North Las VegasNV$48,899$73,930$98,961+16%
210Salt Lake CityUT$48,909$73,946$98,983+16%
211PlanoTX$48,972$74,041$99,110+17%
212StocktonCA$49,949$75,518$101,086+19%
213PeoriaAZ$50,253$75,978$101,702+20%
214SarasotaFL$50,379$76,169$101,958+20%
215BridgeportCT$50,547$76,423$102,298+20%
216VisaliaCA$50,642$76,566$102,489+21%
217BakersfieldCA$50,820$76,835$102,850+21%
218Jersey CityNJ$50,925$76,994$103,063+21%
219PortlandOR$51,135$77,312$103,488+22%
220ChicoCA$51,219$77,439$103,658+22%
221GlendaleAZ$51,240$77,470$103,700+22%
222ElizabethNJ$51,240$77,470$103,700+22%
223Colorado SpringsCO$51,303$77,566$103,828+22%
224OlympiaWA$51,334$77,613$103,891+22%
225DurangoCO$51,397$77,708$104,019+22%
226BoiseID$51,429$77,756$104,083+22%
227PhiladelphiaPA$51,587$77,994$104,401+23%
228MissoulaMT$51,671$78,121$104,571+23%
229Moreno ValleyCA$51,786$78,296$104,805+23%
230Fort LauderdaleFL$52,049$78,693$105,336+24%
231AlbanyNY$52,049$78,693$105,336+24%
232FlagstaffAZ$52,059$78,709$105,358+24%
233LakewoodNJ$52,070$78,725$105,379+24%
234AuroraCO$52,395$79,217$106,038+25%
235RiversideCA$52,427$79,264$106,101+25%
236LowellMA$52,490$79,360$106,229+25%
237AnchorageAK$52,878$79,947$107,015+26%
238Santa FeNM$53,498$80,884$108,269+27%
239BellinghamWA$53,854$81,423$108,991+28%
240SacramentoCA$53,918$81,519$109,119+28%
241MiamiFL$54,002$81,646$109,289+29%
242EugeneOR$54,002$81,646$109,289+29%
243MeridianID$54,086$81,773$109,459+29%
244TacomaWA$54,463$82,344$110,224+30%
245RosevilleCA$54,705$82,709$110,713+30%
246Coeur d'AleneID$54,789$82,836$110,883+30%
247ConcordCA$54,926$83,043$111,159+31%
248PhoenixAZ$55,031$83,201$111,371+31%
249CorvallisOR$55,451$83,836$112,221+32%
250OceansideCA$55,871$84,471$113,071+33%
251MesaAZ$55,881$84,487$113,093+33%
252ColumbiaMD$56,028$84,709$113,390+33%
253NaplesFL$56,228$85,011$113,794+34%
254DenverCO$56,553$85,503$114,453+35%
255San Luis ObispoCA$56,669$85,678$114,686+35%
256FontanaCA$56,795$85,868$114,941+35%
257BendOR$57,026$86,218$115,409+36%
258VallejoCA$57,572$87,043$116,514+37%
259ScottsdaleAZ$58,527$88,488$118,448+39%
260OxnardCA$59,262$89,599$119,935+41%
261Huntington BeachCA$59,493$89,948$120,403+42%
262Palm SpringsCA$59,819$90,440$121,061+42%
263NewarkNJ$59,829$90,456$121,082+42%
264Simi ValleyCA$61,152$92,456$123,760+46%
265SedonaAZ$62,328$94,234$126,140+48%
266BostonMA$62,339$94,250$126,161+48%
267OntarioCA$62,759$94,885$127,011+49%
268Santa AnaCA$63,357$95,790$128,223+51%
269San DiegoCA$63,662$96,251$128,839+52%
270AnaheimCA$64,103$96,917$129,731+53%
271NapaCA$65,163$98,521$131,878+55%
272StamfordCT$65,268$98,679$132,090+55%
273PortsmouthNH$65,363$98,822$132,281+56%
274HaywardCA$66,024$99,822$133,620+57%
275JuneauAK$66,276$100,203$134,130+58%
276JacksonWY$66,822$101,029$135,235+59%
277IrvineCA$66,938$101,204$135,469+59%
278WashingtonDC$67,074$101,410$135,745+60%
279BellevueWA$67,221$101,632$136,043+60%
280YonkersNY$68,681$103,839$138,996+64%
281Long BeachCA$71,358$107,887$144,415+70%
282Key WestFL$71,936$108,760$145,584+71%
283Santa RosaCA$72,314$109,332$146,349+72%
284BoulderCO$73,133$110,570$148,006+74%
285CambridgeMA$73,941$111,792$149,643+76%
286Martha's VineyardMA$75,180$113,665$152,150+79%
287SeattleWA$76,062$114,999$153,935+81%
288Los AngelesCA$76,671$115,920$155,168+83%
289Santa CruzCA$76,713$115,983$155,253+83%
290Park CityUT$77,616$117,348$157,080+85%
291HonoluluHI$77,784$117,602$157,420+85%
292Santa BarbaraCA$79,622$120,381$161,139+90%
293New YorkNY$79,989$120,936$161,883+90%
294VailCO$83,328$125,984$168,640+98%
295OaklandCA$85,659$129,509$173,358+104%
296San JoseCA$89,796$135,763$181,730+114%
297TellurideCO$94,857$143,415$191,973+126%
298San FranciscoCA$95,078$143,749$192,419+126%
299SunnyvaleCA$96,443$145,812$195,181+130%
300AspenCO$97,114$146,828$196,541+131%

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does police officer salary cost on average?

The national average for police officer salary ranges from $42,000 to $85,000. However, actual costs vary significantly by city — Brownsville is the most affordable at $34,925, while Aspen is the most expensive at $146,828. That's a spread of $111,903 between the cheapest and most expensive cities.

Where is police officer salary cheapest in the US?

The top 5 most affordable cities for police officer salary are: 1. Brownsville, TX ($34,925); 2. Waco, TX ($34,925); 3. Abilene, TX ($37,243); 4. Charleston, WV ($37,989); 5. Macon, GA ($38,958). These cities benefit from lower labor costs, less regulatory overhead, and more competitive local markets.

Why does police officer salary cost more in some cities?

Several factors drive cost differences: local labor rates (often tied to housing costs), state and city regulations, material transportation costs, competitive density of service providers, and regional demand patterns. High cost-of-living cities like Aspen (index: 230) have higher baseline expenses that push up service costs across the board.

About This Data

Data SourcesBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, Census Bureau ACS, HUD Fair Market Rent data, and regional industry surveys.
MethodologyNational averages adjusted by city-specific cost-of-living indices derived from BLS regional price parities.
Confidence LevelHIGH— BLS OEWS wage data

Limitations: These are estimated ranges based on federal datasets and cost indices, not direct local surveys. Actual costs may vary based on project scope, provider, timing, and local market conditions. Data last updated: March 2026.

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