Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Alaska

Considering a career as a Police or Sheriff's Patrol Officer in Alaska?

• Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Alaska earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer Career?

• Natural Resources & Conservation
• Natural Resource Management
• Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
• Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
• Criminal Justice & Corrections
• Criminal Justice & Police Science
• Criminalistics & Criminal Science
• Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing
• Law Enforcement Record-Keeping & Evidence Management
• Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations
• Protective Services Operations
• Maritime Law Enforcement

How Many Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Work in Alaska?

There were approximately 1,070 workers employed as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in this state in 2018.

There were 1,070 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers employed in this state in 2017.

The amount of jobs between 2017 and 2018 is holding steady.

The typical state has 7,830 Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers working in it, which means Alaska has fewer Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers than average.

Job Projections for Alaska

Jobs for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in this state are not projected to grow or decrease, but nationwide they are growing at a rate of 7.0%.

Alaska Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 80 annual job openings, and 1,290 total jobs in 2026 for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 49,500 annual jobs and 731,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Make in Alaska?

In 2018 wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ranged from $59,380 to $121,390 with $84,830 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $28.55 to $58.36. The median hourly rate was $40.78.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $40.13 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.65.

The median salary in Alaska is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Alaska Metros for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Anchorage, AK	560	$90,500
Fairbanks, AK	100	$79,480

Top States for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Employment

The table below shows the states where most Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	72,680	$104,790
Texas	60,260	$61,590
New York	53,560	$78,750
Florida	37,650	$57,320
Illinois	30,370	$82,670
Pennsylvania	27,850	$67,440
Ohio	24,890	$60,980
Georgia	22,410	$42,070
North Carolina	22,350	$46,160
New Jersey	19,950	$85,330
Virginia	18,080	$53,570
Massachusetts	16,830	$68,030
Michigan	16,270	$57,690
Missouri	13,510	$48,080
Tennessee	13,410	$44,270
Maryland	12,650	$67,030
Indiana	12,340	$54,570
Louisiana	11,810	$40,480
Alabama	11,410	$44,560
Arizona	11,320	$65,220

Below are the states where Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
California	$104,790
New Jersey	$85,330
Alaska	$84,830
Illinois	$82,670
Washington	$78,870
New York	$78,750
Colorado	$74,550
Hawaii	$73,370
Oregon	$71,670
District of Columbia	$71,570

Related Careers in Alaska

You may also be interested in the following careers:

• Transit and Railroad Police

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.