Highest Paid Police Departments | 10 Best States for Police Officers in USA

We're going to be discussing the Highest Paid Police Departments. As you may well know, across the 50 states in the USA, there are about 800,000 people serving as police officers. These include detectives, patrol police, correctional officers, and criminal investigators.

They serve their communities or the state to become safer and create awareness about security issues. The role of police officers is summarized in this way; preventing crime, cracking down on outlaws, and enhancing citizens' safety.

In this article, you will get to know the highest-paid police departments and the best states conducive for police officers.

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Do Police Officers Get Paid Well?

Police officers in the United States get paid well enough compared to police officers in other countries.

In the US, Police officers' pay is about 37.5% (which is $15,000) above the average annual salary of all the different occupations nationwide ($51,960).

This goes to show that police officer gets paid well for all the troubles and dangers they are challenged with, in their daily work life.

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How much does a police officer get paid?

The national average annual wage of a police officer is $67,600, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

However, you should bear in mind that the salary of police officers varies depending on the state and the cost of living there.

Also, it depends on the type of police job you're going to be in. A correctional officer will not be paid the same as a detective and a security guard will not be paid the same as a traffic police.

Which state has the highest-paid police officer?

As of 2020, occupational data reports that California is the state that pays police officers the most. The average salary of an officer living in California is $105,220 which is over $37,000 more than the national average of $67,600.

As a statistical and logical fact, the states that spend lower amounts of their budget on law enforcement are most likely to pay smaller wages to their public workers.

For instance, the southern and mid-western states pay police officers lesser money than those officers in the Northern US states.

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What type of police gets paid the most?

According to Indeed.com, patrol policemen and women gets the highest hourly pay rate of over $14 per hour. Detectives also rank as among the highest-paid type of police.

The above rankings were inferences made from the national average salaries of the different types of police officers.

Some detectives are paid nearly double the salary of typical patrol police depending on the level of experience and whether the officer is working at the municipal, state, or federal level.

Top 5 Highest Police Departments in the World

Below are the top 5 highest-paid police departments in the world.

#1. Canada – RCMP

Canada is the country with the highest-paid police departments. The average salary for a police officer in Canada is $88,315 per year according to Glassdoor.

The average annual salary of a Canadian police officer is $32,500. This is 36.8% higher than the national average of different occupations put together.

In places like Toronto, Richmond Hill, Alberta, etc. police officers may earn as high as $114,520 per annum.

The salary may sound big to you but bear in mind that the cost of living in those areas doesn't come cheap. 

Superintendents in the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) earn the highest salaries, sometimes reaching $146,735.

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#2. Switzerland – Zurich

Officers working either in the English, French, and Swiss dominant zones make an average of CHF 76,000 to 90,848 per annum.

This is according to the report from salaryexpert.com. A police officer serving in the Zurich Police department can expect to earn an average of CHF 95,970 per annum.

Most aspiring officers are required to graduate from the police academy just as in other countries. Also, you may need to earn one or two criminal justice degrees depending on the city.

#3. United States – California

California is currently one of the highest-paid police departments in the world. Many people see the California Police Department as the number one highest salary-paying state for police officers worldwide.

On average, a police officer's salary is $93,550, being 52.7%higher than the national average. In Sunnyvale or San Jose, police officers may earn as much as $114,520 per year.

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#4. The United Kingdom – London

The UK police are one of the hardest working and responsible workers in the country and no wonder their pay is among the highest in the world.

The basic salary for constables in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland ranges between 19,400 GBP and 23,000 GBP per annum.

Sergeants, detectives, and inspectors earn higher. But in all, the average salary for an officer in London is 32,962 GBP plus overtime salary added to it.

#5. Australia

The average salary for an Australian police officer is around AU$ 56,000 ($42,000). The amount of money earned greatly depends on the state and city the officer is based.

However, Sydney and Melbourne are the top cities you may want to be in if you want more wages.

As you may have noticed during the COVID lockdown months, police officers worldwide faced more challenges, especially in the United States.

The public has criticized the cops for “police brutality” directed toward a particular race. This has surely adjusted the way police handle situations.

But in the long run, slowed down recruitment in some states and heightened general concerns.

What are the best states for police officers in the United States?

10 Best States For Police Officers in USA

You may dislike the risks and specialization required to work the job of a police officer but you should bear in mind that there are still some police-friendly states where the job role is a bit encouraging.

The criteria for becoming a “police-friendly state” include:

• the mean annual salary,
• the number of police deaths per 1000,
• the local police personnel ratio to citizens and
• local police expenditure per budget capita
• training requirements and career opportunity

Canada is known to be a police-friendly country in that it meets all these criteria and more. However, based on the trusted data from WalletHub, here are the 10 best states for police officers in the USA.

1. California
2. Connecticut
3. Maryland
4. District of Columbia
5. Ohio
6. Illinois
7. Colorado
8. Washington
9. George
10. Minnesota

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FAQs on the Highest Paid Police Departments

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Summary

As a general rule of thumb, you should bear in mind that the states that spend the most on Security and Law enforcement will pay officers more than those who have the least budget expenditure according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In the US for instance, northern states and those on the West coast make up the highest-paid Police Departments.

So if you're looking for a yummy pay rate, consider California, Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Those states give out the highest median income for police officers although you should get ready to adjust for the higher cost of living.

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