Police Officer Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 2,690 US job postings by 1,438 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for police officers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 2,690 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for police officers in US job postings is $34.48 an hour (606 postings from 407 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $27.50 to $41.55 an hour.
- The skills that most set police officer postings apart are good moral character, firearms, crime prevention.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Police Officer job postings in the US, October 2026
- $34.48/hr
- Median advertised pay (606 postings)
- $27.50–$41.55
- Middle 50% of postings
- 2,690
- US job postings from 1,438 employers
- 2 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a police officer make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $34.48 an hour, from 606 US job postings by 407 employers that state pay. That is about $71,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 606 US police officer job postings: median $71,000 a year ($34.48 an hour), middle half $59,000 to $89,000.
- Median: $71,000 ($34.48/hr)
- 25th percentile: $59,000
- 75th percentile: $89,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 0.5% |
| $30K–$40K | 3.3% |
| $40K–$50K | 5.7% |
| $50K–$60K | 18.2% |
| $60K–$70K | 19.7% |
| $70K–$80K | 15.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 12.4% |
| $90K–$100K | 9.2% |
| $100K–$110K | 7.0% |
| $110K–$120K | 2.7% |
| $120K–$130K | 1.5% |
| $130K–$140K | 1.0% |
| $140K–$150K | 0.7% |
| $150K–$160K | 1.3% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | Most common titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $34.48 | $27.50–$41.55 | 300 | Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, Lateral Police Officer |
| Postings that state an annual salary | $71,000 | $59K–$95K | 298 | Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, Police Recruit |
| All pay postings, annualised | $71,000 | $59K–$89K | 606 | – |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (33-3051) at $76,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a police officer?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying police officer jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officer (general) | $34.69/hr | 494 | 346 |
Skills employers ask for in police officer job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 14% |
| Interpersonal skills | 10% |
| Communicate effectively | 9% |
| Sound judgment | 8% |
| Good moral character | 8% |
| Problem-solving | 8% |
| Integrity | 7% |
| Customer service | 7% |
| Firearms | 6% |
| Work independently | 5% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set police officers apart
- Good moral character220.3× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Firearms320.3× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Sound judgment7× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Communicate effectively3.7× as often as in all postings · 9%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a police officer job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a police officer do?
Employers post these jobs as Deputy Sheriff, Police Cadet, Lateral Police Officer, Police Recruit, Police Officer Trainee and other titles. The largest specializations are Deputy Sheriff (14%).
The closest official occupation is Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (33-3051.00). Its most important tasks:
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a police officer?
Among 720 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. 2% say 0 years and 31% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 720 US police officer job postings: median 2 years, and 31% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 2% |
| 1 yr | 29% |
| 2 yrs | 34% |
| 3-4 yrs | 21% |
| 5-7 yrs | 9% |
| 8-9 yrs | under 1% |
| 10+ yrs | 4% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 83%, Part-time 17% of the 513 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a police officer: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Police Officer | 756 (52.6%) |
| Deputy Sheriff | 177 (12.3%) |
| Police Cadet | 69 (4.8%) |
| Lateral Police Officer | 64 (4.5%) |
| Police Recruit | 58 (4.0%) |
| Police Officer Trainee | 57 (4.0%) |
| School Resource Officer | 55 (3.8%) |
| Police Officer Recruit | 45 (3.1%) |
| Certified Police Officer | 43 (3.0%) |
| Police Officer (Lateral) | 42 (2.9%) |
| Police Officer I | 41 (2.9%) |
| Patrol Deputy | 31 (2.2%) |
| Campus Police Officer | 31 (2.2%) |
| Police Sergeant | 31 (2.2%) |
| Reserve Police Officer | 26 (1.8%) |
| Police Officer (Certified) | 20 (1.4%) |
| Entry Level Police Officer | 20 (1.4%) |
| Police Officer Lateral | 18 (1.2%) |
| School Police Officer | 18 (1.2%) |
| Chief of Police | 15 (1.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Police officer job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy Sheriff | 257 | 177 | – | – | good moral character, communication, interpersonal skills |
Police Officer vs Deputy Sheriff
| Police Officer | Deputy Sheriff | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 1,082 | 257 |
| Employers | 756 | 177 |
| Median advertised pay | – | – |
| Median experience asked | 2 years | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Police Officer compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officer | $34.48/hr | 2 years | 2,690 | – |
| Correctional Officer | – | 1 year | 1,034 | 15 |
| Firefighter | – | – | 956 | 15 |
| Security Officer | $20.50/hr | 2 years | 32,553 | 14 |
| Lifeguard | $17.50/hr | 1 year | 2,796 | 14 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Correctional Officer | 15 | – |
| Firefighter | 15 | – |
| Security Officer | 14 | $20.50/hr |
| Lifeguard | 14 | $17.50/hr |
| Paraprofessional | 11 | $18.50/hr |
| Dispatcher | 11 | $22.21/hr |
Applying for police officer jobs?
- Police officer resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find police officer jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a police officer make an hour?
What are other names for a police officer?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 20 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.