Features

• As of May 2010, the 644,300 police officers employed in the U.S. earned a mean annual wage of $55,620, according to the Bureau's Occupational Employment Statistics survey. The bottom 10 percent earned $31,700 and the top 10 percent made $83,510. The median annual wage for police officers was $53,540. The bureau notes that in smaller local agencies -- which may employ fewer than 25 officers -- salaries are less than in major metropolitan areas.
  
  

Industries

• Local government and state government had the highest employment levels for police officers, and paid a mean annual wage of $55,710 and $58,200, respectively. State government is the highest-paying industry for police officers, followed by local government. Rounding out the top-five paying industries for police officers are specialty hospitals, general hospitals, and the postal service; annual mean wages ranged from $52,170 to $55,560.
  
  

Locations

• The five states that employed the most police officers were California, New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois. Salaries ranged from $50,440 to $77,290 in these locations. The bureau reports that the top-paying states for this occupation were New Jersey, California, Illinois and Nevada; the District of Columbia is also included with the top five states. Salaries in these states ranged from $65,840 to $79,300. The five highest-paying metropolitan areas for police officers are all in California -- and paid between $84,230 and $96,330 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• Employment for police officers is expected to grow by about 10 percent through the year 2018, according to the bureau. Job prospects will be favorable for those seeking jobs in local law enforcement agencies and more competitive in state agencies. Some openings will result from a need to retire currently employed officers. The bureau explains that most police officers can retire at half of their salary after 20 years of service.